GOP: Our Earmarks Aren't Pork
Republicans Lindsey Graham, Jon Kyl, and David Vitter have a message to their colleagues considering the $410 billion omnibus spending bill: your earmarks are "bloat" while ours are "priorities."
Each has come out against the spending bill, attacking it in varying levels of shrillness as wasteful spending. It doesn't focus enough on "job one," which to them is job creation. They decry the amount and type of earmarks found in the bill as just more of the same old "pork" that has led to record deficits and increasing public outrage around how tax dollars are spent. That's all fine and good until you realize that each of them has included hundreds of their own earmarks totaling hundreds of millions of dollars.
Lindsey Graham (R-SC): $410 Million
David Vitter (R-LA): $249 million
Jon Kyl (R-AZ): $118 million
How do they justify such apparent hypocrisy? With arrogance.
"I voted to take all earmarks out, but I will come back in the new process and put that back in," Graham insisted, saying that the convention center is important to stimulate the local economy. "I think I should have the ability as a United States senator to direct money back to my state as long as it's transparent and it makes sense."
"I can defend everything that I have recommended in the budget," Kyl said. "And I would suggest that they're not earmarks under the definition, because we have a specific definition.
"I don't think it's wrong to advocate for specific priorities in your state if it doesn't change your opinion about an overall bill, which I think in this case is way too bloated," said Vitter.
Got that? Their earmarks are simply directing federal funds to their local constituents, which is their job. The rest of you assholes in congress are stealing tax dollars for silly projects. No word on how their pork fighting buddy John McCain feels about this.
Comments
did you really expect anything more from them?
Posted by: vitas | March 9, 2009 7:47 PM