NewsTrust - Earmarks - Most Recent Stories: Opinion (Independent)

Power of the People: McConnell Buckles, Will Support Earmark Ban

Mon, 15 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Ace of Spades HQ - By Ace - Nov. 15 (Opinion) - Consider: It is natural that before we get to the tough stuff (and after that-- the really tough stuff) we have to get to the easy stuff, right? Thus, the easy stuff does not fix all of our problems -- not even close -- but it is nevertheless a necessary first step before the also-necessary second and third steps may be had.

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Cantor Claims $2.8 Trillion In New Debt Is Greater Than $10.6 Trillion In Existing Debt

Sat, 02 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Think Progress - Oct. 02 (Opinion) - Cantor Claims $2.8 Trillion In New Debt Is Greater Than $10.6 Trillion In Existing Debt

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Enemy Congress

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0700

thenewamerican.com - Mar. 18 (Opinion) -

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DeMint watches out for all of us

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The Times and Democrat - By − Edwin O. Merwin Jr., James S. Ulmer Jr. - Oct. 18 (Opinion) - There is a saying that the Jews who are wealthy got that way not by watching dollars, but instead by taking care of the pennies and the dollars taking care of themselves. By not using earmarks to fund projects for South Carolina and instead using actual bills, DeMint is watching our nation’s pennies and trying to preserve our country’s wealth and our economy’s viability to give all an opportunity to succeed.

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Republican Earmarks Taint Spending Criticism

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Real Clear Politics - By Kyle Trygstad - Mar. 15 (Opinion) - While Republicans criticize President Obama for not sticking to a campaign promise to rid government of wasteful spending, the GOP itself is finding trouble getting back to the kind of fiscal discipline its members say disappeared over the last several years they controlled Congress. Republicans in Congress vilified Democrats for both the overall size and the number of earmarks attached to the $410 billion omnibus appropriations bill that Obama signed Wednesday. However, despite the rhetoric, Republicans requested 40 percent of the earmarks and ranked among the highest pork barrel spenders.

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House GOP caucus still likes their pork

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Hot Air - By Ed Morrissey - Nov. 21 (Comment) - Boehner and Cantor just won election to leadership posts (re-elected, in Boehner’s case) in what was supposed to show a decision by House Republicans to firm up their message. This shows that flabbiness remains in style among Republicans on Capitol Hill. Last year, conservative activists tried to get the caucus to adopt a year-long unilateral moratorium in order to regain the mantle of fiscal responsibility. This time, they just wanted a commitment that would last three months, and still didn’t get it.

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The Bucks Stop Here, Next Time

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Captain's Quarters - By Ed Morrissey - Jan. 28 (Opinion) - It doesn't demonstrate much courage to put off executive action until the final months of his lame-duck presidency. Allowing the pork projects to stand also won't help rescue the GOP's credibility on fiscal discipline. Like it or not, Bush's actions reflect on the party, and this doesn't improve its position much. It has all the credibility of a parent who tells Junior that the next time he steals from his neighbors, he's really, really, really going to be punished.

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Don't Expect An EO

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Captain's Quarters - Jan. 22 (Opinion) - The Bush administration will probably not issue an executive order canceling the 9,000 earmarks in the omnibus spending bill, the New York Times reports, as the White House does not want to have a war with Congress in 2008. Instead, they will review each request line by line and may demand support for each in writing from its sponsor, proving that the money actually got requested by its beneficiary and it will be spent as intended. This will disappoint many who saw this as an final opportunity for this administration and the GOP to reclaim some credibility on fiscal discipline:

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Why Pork Is DC's Favorite White Meat

Thu, 22 Nov 2007 10:09:16 -0800

Captain's Quarters - By Ed Morrissey - Nov. 22 (Opinion) - When we talk about white meat on Thanksgiving, most picture a finely roasted turkey, carved thin, with delicious gravy and trimmings. In the context of federal government, however, the white meat refers to pork, which is never cut thin but dropped thickly onto the backs of taxpayers. Why white meat? As our friend Jazz Shaw reminds us, it's both red and blue and the favorite meal of Congressmen of both parties. Today's Washington Post demonstrates that Republicans still have not quite learned their lesson from 2006:

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Getting Porker Protection

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 11:01:07 -0800

National Review - By Andrew Roth - Nov. 06 (Opinion) - The White House and Congress are currently in a significant dispute over the federal budget. The fiscal year ended a few weeks ago and the Senate has yet to send the president one appropriations bill. The smart money suggests that the budget will turn into one large omnibus bill before the end of the year that could become the vehicle for a lot of egregious earmarks.

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Money Travels North

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 11:30:00 -0700

Talking Points Memo - By Josh Marshall - Aug. 14 (Opinion) - I had to scrunch this image down a little. But as you can see, one fact stands out pretty clearly: Alaska bags a lot of earmarks. The runner up states tend to be smallish states. And that's a clear effect of the disproportionate weight small states get in the senate. But, still, Alaska gets almost four times more in federal earmark dollars than the next runner up, Hawaii. Another interesting way to look at this is, look at the top three states: Alaska, Hawaii, and West Virginia. All smallish states but each also have senators that have been in office, respectively from 1968 (Stevens), 1963 (Inouye) and 1959 (Byrd).

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The Mystery Earmark

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 13:53:45 -0700

Heading Right - Jul. 18 (Opinion) - Let's make sure we all have this correct. Congress earmarked a million dollars -- approximately equal to 40 years of salary for an average American family -- to an entity which no one could certify as real. The House had prepared itself to send a small fortune to ... whom? And for what?

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