Earmarks, they aren’t just for democrats..

Mitch McConnell loves earmarks, and he also loves to be hypocritical as hell about them. From McClatchy:

Democrats, who have weathered criticism from Republicans over earmarks in recent months, are singling out Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell for the more than $75 million in federal funds for Kentucky projects he requested along with other members of Congress in a $410 billion spending bill.

The federal funds for projects, or earmarks, McConnell asked for in the omnibus spending bill include $1.6 million for a forage animal production research laboratory in Lexington, $1.088 million for an animal waste management research lab in Bowling Green, $2.945 million for LexTran to purchase buses and $950,000 for a Western Kentucky University bikeway project, according to Taxpayers for Common Sense, a group that tracks federal spending.

*snip*

McCaskill, one of only a few Democratic senators who hasn’t requested earmarks for her state, has pledged to “out” Republican earmarks later this week during a speech on the Senate floor.

“Earmarking was taken to a new art form under the Republican Congress and President Bush,” McCaskill said. “The Republicans in the Senate have lined up for billions and billions and billions of dollars. You can’t have it both ways. You can’t be half pregnant on this deal.”

McConnell ranked ninth in a Taxpayers for Common Sense analysis of Senate earmark recipients and is solely listed as having requested more than $51 million worth of projects.

The Party Of No just screams and throws tantrums. They are lovers of the pork too, but the bastards actually think their earmarks are not earmarks, as in these comments by two Rethugs:

McConnell defends his earmarks as projects that are necessary to help diversify the economy of Kentucky.

Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., pledged Tuesday to remove his own earmarks, but stressed that doing so would hurt state programs.

Carpetbagging bastards. I can’t wait for McCaskill’s speech on the hypocrites within the Rethug party.

Tags: earmarks, Pork Spending by Republicans

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Ten Post Round-Up: Superman Edition

By the time you read this post you will either have recovered from the Palin Speech Drinking Game or had enough Pepto to settle your tummy.  Of course, if you are like me, you probably opted for a refreshing rerun of CSI.

For those of you who prefer your Republican/Conservative news in bite-size portions, today’s Ten Post Round-Up will not disappoint.  But, before you proceed, you might want to indulge in a little musical interlude and remember that you are (or may very likely know) a Superwoman.

• Going for gold? Palin earns her compassionate conservative credentials.

• When all else fails, blame a Clinton!

• Remember kids: IOKIYAR (sexism edition).

• Palin: The gift that keeps on giving.

• Looks like McMaverick’s game plan backfired.

• May the Great Pumpkin bless and keep him: Voice of Snoopy goes to the Great Pumpkin patch in the sky.

• Pu ff Daddy, P. Diddy, Puff the Magic Diddy, Diddy, um, Sean Combs has spoken.

• Remember kids: If you really want privacy, then um, stay out national politics…

• Let us remember that like a firearm, when in the proximity of a microphone, always assume that it’s loaded (I very recently discovered how embarrassing that can be…thankfully, I’m not a national figure)!

• When The Maverick Met The Palin. *warning: adult-language*

(originally posted at: The Sirens Chronicles)

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Ten Post Round-Up: We Won’t Get Shafted, Again

You’ve got to give McCain credit. By welcoming Palin into his campaign, he sure livened things up quite a bit in this election (and no, I’m not referring to you-know-what, unless you know what is a bridge or something).

Truth be told, I don’t blame him for his (apparently) monumental screw-up. There was not much more he could do after Obama pretty much drop-kicked McCain during his awesome speech, last week. McCain can only hope that Palin will continue to be a distraction, especially if his big speech does not get the audience and/or the viewership that Obama’s did.

Looks like I got more to dish about Palin in today’s Ten Post Round-Up (after all, forewarned is fore-armed). I heard that Jerry Reed (of Smokey and the Bandit fame) died today. Searching for a song to link to, this one made me think of the Republican party and how we have been treated since GWB got the WH (S/He got the goldmine–I/We got the shaft).

• Get ready to have your access capped or pay more for internet access.

• More Gestapo tactics at the RNC. Welcome to Republican America, indeed!

• There goes “the neighborhood”. What would King Friday XIII decree?

• As Gustav passes, we still have our hearts and minds on Katrina.

• More things that make you go “Hmmmm…” in regards to Palin-gate.

• The Republicans continue to party-hardy despite McCain’s call for solemnity because of the approaching hurricane.

• McCain’s POW cred makes him unfit to be Prez? He doesn’t think so.

• Fitness may simply be a process of mind over matter.

• Progressives (and probably some Conservatives) have started a Palin Pull-out Pool. Will and when will she make her grand exit? I’ve placed my bet.

• From the annals of “Foods That Should NEVER Be Put Together In One Palate”.

(originally posted at: The Sirens Chronicles)

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Earmarks? Senate loves them..votes against ending them.

Those wonderful folks that represent us in the Senate that give lipservice to how horrible earmarks are..well..they really don’t want them to end. By a vote of 71-29 a bill to end earmarks for a year, went down in flames. Interestingly enough, I can’t find a single major Media outlet reporting on this when I google it. But alas, my dear reader..I did find a writeup about it in the Contra Costa Times:

Efforts by Sens. John McCain, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama to place a moratorium on earmarked pork-barrel spending additions to the budget were soundly defeated on a 71-29 vote in the Senate.

More than half of the GOP senators voted against the effort to rein in out-of-control earmarks, a process in which lawmakers’ pet projects are attached to legislation without any debate. Only three Democrats joined their party’s presidential candidates in opposing earmarks.

Bastards..its all business as usual. See how your Senator voted here.

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When is an earmark not an earmark?

Why, when Ron Paul puts it in a bill! This Sunday, on Meet the Press, Ron Paul tried very hard to portray the…ahem..earmarks he goes after as merely getting his constituents back some of their tax money.

Pardon me whilst I laugh my ass off. Ronnie has asked for funding on a variety of state programs..among them: water projects, a nursing program, to expand a hospital cancer center and to promote Texas shrimp.

Texas Shrimp? WTF? If thats not a fucking earmark, I don’t know what is. Paul refused to vote for financial help for victims of Katrina..but shrimp from Texas need an ear-fucking-mark? Tim Russert pointed out that Mr. Paul’s district received more than $4 billion from the federal government in the first nine months of the 2006 fiscal year.-That is a district..not the state of Texas my dear reader.

The NYT has an article up about Paul’s MTP visit and it isn’t very flattering either. Of course the RP wingnuts will paint a different picture, but to me..Paul says one thing and does another..but since he is polling mostly in the single digits..the MSM gives him little ink on his bullshittery. An earmark still smells and tastes like bacon..therefore it IS bacon.

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