Who Monitors The Earmarks?

Remember back when Democrats promised to be more ethical? Remember when they promised to chill the lobbying? Remember when they said America needs a new direction, and that they would have the highest ideals? Apparently, they don't

The federal agency that tracked pork-barrel spending during the 12 years of the Republican congressional majority has discontinued the practice since Democrats took power, riling lawmakers suspicious of the timing and concerned about the pace of fat being added to bills. 

"To me, something doesn't smell right," said Sen. Jim DeMint, South Carolina Republican. "I just hope no one is pressuring" the Congressional Research Service (CRS). 

While not blaming the Democratic leadership, Mr. DeMint added: "I guess if you're looking for a motive, you'd have to look in that direction."

Well, as the old saying goes, "you ain't seen nothin' yet!"

Just think about the pork put in the Iraq funding surrender bill. Think about Nancy Pelosi, the "most powerful woman in America," offering bribes in the form of pork, and succeeding in many cases, in order to get the House surrender bill passed. "Do as I say, not as I do."

Citizens Against Government Waste put the figure for 2006 at $29 billion, while Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee said it was $17 billion. Mr. DeMint, citing a CRS report, said the amount totaled more than $67 billion.

When Democrats took control of the 110th Congress in January, they promised to limit the long-standing and bipartisan practice of slipping pork spending into bills. But when the House last week passed a $124 billion emergency war-funding provision, the bill included as much as $20 billion in nonmilitary and pork-barrel spending, a move widely criticized by Republicans, including President Bush.

The ethics of this has already been discussed many times before, but to use a military spending bill for troops in the field for their pet projects is disgusting. Bad enough they used it for their own nefarious political purposes.

Expect to see this on a continuous basis. Without the best monitor around monitoring them, they will be able to play their games and hide a good deal of their pork, in an attempt to dupe the American public.

And, while I we are on the subject of attempting to dupe the American public

The new Democratic majority begins dancing the next phase of the tax-and-spend minuet in the House of Representatives today. Following the example set by their Senate brethren last Friday, House Democrats will adopt a budget resolution containing the largest tax increase in U.S. history amid massive national inattention. (snip)

The bill set to reach the House floor today (resembling the Senate version) would raise taxes an average of $1,795 on 115 million taxpayers in 2011. Some 26 million small-business owners would pay an average of $3,960 more. The decreased number of Americans subject to income taxes would all pay higher taxes, and 5 million low-income Americans would be returned to the rolls.

Hey, you, stop looking behind that door!

Oh, and let's not forget how it was ONLY the Republicans who were involved in said Culture of Corruption. It wasn't? Captain Ed lights the way.

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7 Responses to “Who Monitors The Earmarks?”

  1. John Ryan says:

    The overwhelming majority of corruption should be blamed on the political part in power. Who is going to be offering graft to a politican without any power ?

  2. Stacy says:

    I apologize, but you’ve been tagged.

  3. Joh, I won’t, and couldn’t, disagree with you. However, now we have the Democrats in charge, and doing exactly what they accused the Republicans of.

    Furthermore, we find out that Diane Fienstien may have been involved in massive Duke Cunningham like schemes. Will the Democrats treat her the way they treated Duke?

    Stacy, no prob, I will check in a few.

  4. Ogre says:

    Don’t forget in the military spending surrender bill:

    $24,000,000.00 for sugar beets.

    $425,000,000.00 for education grants in rural areas.

    $22,800,000.00 for geothermal research.

    Slimy, filthy liars, the damn lot of them.

  5. Got that right. But, somehow, those are all emergencies. Meanwhile, Congress is about to go on spring break, leaving a bill that will be veto’d.

  6. […] not forget that the federal agency that monitored pork barrel spending stopped that practive when Democrats took over. […]

  7. […] lobbyist to form a PAC for the 41 new Dem House members, as well as stopped the practice of the Congressional Research Service from tracking earmarks, among others. Still, Democrats conceded that the hectic pace had taken a […]

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