Omnibus includes $8B in earmarks

[witness23]

What a joke. First of all, the earmarks on this bill are just ridiculous from both sides of the aisle.

With that being said, lets get this straight though, the Republicans are against earmarks right? They have a two year ban on earmarks right? Then WITHDRAW them from the bill FIRST then be against it, not against it WITH them in it, knowing it will pass.

McConnell said earmarks do not add "that" much to the deficit and uses them often. Then changed his tune and now is staunch in his opinion against earmarks. But he has millions in earmarks in this omnibus bill which include the following.

$4 million for marijuana eradication efforts by the Kentucky National Guard; $1 million for construction of the Kentucky Blood Center Building; and $650,000 for Advanced Genetic Technologies, a DNA research center at the University of Kentucky.

Where are all the newly elected Tea Partiers on this? I did hear that Scott Brown (R: Mass) may be inclined to vote for the bill. This bill was done in secret, behind closed doors. The TeaParty people have been had.

Then you have John Boehner (I so want to call him something else but will not lower myself to childish names) telling the President if he is listening to the American people, and the bill passes, he should veto it.

I got news for you Boehner, if this bill passes its because the Republicans are not listening to the American people. If this bill passes its because of the Republicans.

Link: Omnibus includes $8B in earmarks - Scott Wong - POLITICO.com

By SCOTT WONG | 12/14/10 7:49 PM EST Updated: 12/15/10 7:34 AM EST

Three hundred fifty thousand dollars for cool-season legume research in Idaho, North Dakota and Washington. A half million dollars for road roundabouts in Mississippi. And $1 million for arthropod damage in Nevada.

They’re just a few of the 6,600 pet projects lawmakers from both parties – and both chambers – stuck inside an enormous spending bill unveiled by Senate Democrats on Tuesday, according to government watchdog Taxpayers for Common Sense. The release of the $1.1 trillion dollar omnibus bill, including $8 billion in earmarks, quickly reignited the fight over pork-barrel spending in the final days of the lame-duck session.

Shortly after the Nov. 2 election, Senate Republicans united their caucus and passed a two-year ban on congressional pork. Their colleagues in the House extended their moratorium a couple days later.

But the spending plan contains hundreds of millions of dollars worth of earmarks requested by Republicans, including from Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) himself.

Earlier this year, McConnell asked for $4 million for marijuana eradication efforts by the Kentucky National Guard; $1 million for construction of the Kentucky Blood Center Building; and $650,000 for Advanced Genetic Technologies, a DNA research center at the University of Kentucky.

When reporters asked about his earmark requests Tuesday, McConnell said he was “actively working to defeat” the massive omnibus bill since the Senate never had a chance to take up individual appropriations bills.
“I think there are many Senate members who have provisions in it for their states who are also actively working to defeat it. This bill should not go forward,” he said. "And regardless of whether members had some input in the bill much earlier in the year when the bills could have been moved to the floor bill by bill by bill, it is completely and totally inappropriate to wrap all of this up into a 2,000-page bill and try to pass it the week before Christmas."

“It's completely inappropriate. I'm vigorously in opposition to it. And most of the members of the [Appropriations] committee are as well,” McConnell added.

Jon Summers, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, said he was surprised Republicans were “up in arms” over earmarks in the omnibus, noting that every request can be viewed online and that spending directed by Congress is down 75 percent since the GOP was in control in 2006.

“Why is that?” Summers asked in a statement. “Because Democrats enacted earmark reform that required more transparency, including the requirement that senators put their names next to earmarks they request. Someone should call them out on this hypocrisy.”

Some of the most visible earmark requests belonged to Democrats.

Five House Democrats requested a $10 million earmark to build the John P. Murtha Center for Public Service at the University of Pittsburgh. And two Massachusetts Democrats, Sen. John Kerry and Rep. Ed Markey, requested $8 million for construction of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate.

Sen. John McCain and Rep. Jeff Flake and, two Arizona Republicans who long have crusaded against earmarks, blasted the nearly 2,000-page omnibus bill, saying it ignores the will of voters who made clear last month Congress needs to rein in government spending and debt.

The American people “are tired of wasteful spending. They are tired of big government. They are tired of sweetheart deals for special interests. They are tired of business as usual in Washington,” McCain said on the Senate floor.

“And they are tired of massive bills – just like this one - put together behind closed doors, and rammed through the Congress at the last moment so that no one has the opportunity to read them and no one really knows what kind of waste is in them.”

Added Flake: “This omnibus was written as if the election in November never happened. Voters explicitly rejected runaway spending. Congress clearly didn’t get the message. If President Obama did, he will veto this bill.”

 

[witness23]

Any Tea Party supporters, GOP supporters, earmark ban supporters here in the Soapbox have an opinion on what's going on in Washington right now? Anything?

 

[greg334]

They just lost 2012.

 

[muttly]

Victory: Reid pulls earmark-packed omnibus spending bill « Hot Air

hahahaha

 

[Poorboy]

Todays www.vision2america.com

 

[witness23]

Victory: Reid pulls earmark-packed omnibus spending bill « Hot Air

hahahaha

How do you expect anyone to have a conversation with you when all you do is throw around childish comments?

When you do that, all it does is show that you are unable to use reason and logic to have a conversation. It shows you are only trying to boost your otherwise weak argument and cut off further discusion.

In which you have succeeded in doing so. Congratulations.

 

[witness23]

Let me further expound on your ability to use logic and reasoning. You can't even see that there is shared blame in this farce. You only look at the situation in a manner in which there is a "winner", Republicans, and a "loser",the Democrats. There are no winners in this circumstance, only losers. You wanna know who these losers are? Us, the American people. You know why? Because the Democrats failed to pass any of the 12 appropriation bills that have been in front of them before now, and the Republicans failed to deliver on their promise of an Earmark ban on any further legislation. The Republicans got caught with there hand's in the cookie jar. The Democrats failed to govern. On top of that, you have DeMint and Kyl accusing the Democrats of 'disrespecting" our Christian holiday, Christmas, because they may keep you in session over the holidays. Boo-Fricken'-Hoo!

 

[greg334]

Witness, a lot of this bill was written before the election, it came out and shelved until now so the republicans look like they are backtracking on a promise which they really didn't make.

We didn't lose. What could happen is that we actually will be more confused because of the political maneuvering that will happen when the damage control system kicks in during the next two years up to the election. This will without a doubt confuse the American voter because as it looks, there is a blur being perpetrated by the media and those in congress to make this all look like the new congress is seated and making these decisions.

IF the government "shuts down", what harm is it really going to do? I don't see much of anything, the military will function, the FBI and most of the justice department will continue, but maybe not the congress (we can only hope) and other non-important agencies.

I think a single page continuing resolution would just work perfectly, giving the new congress the needed time to go through the budget and get things straight. But then it brings up an important question, should we the people start demanding more be done during these elections?