In a measure of just how unrepentant our congressional members are over rampant corruption and waste in government, barely one-fourth of the Senate voted to freeze earmarks for just one year. It was a vote of utter contempt for not just government reform but the voters . . . and they are probably right.
Last year, Congress approved 12,884 earmarks — a practice that costs roughly $18 billion a year.
Earmarks are the legislative currency of corruption. For past columns and entries, click here and here.
This amendment was merely an experiment to see if members could stop raiding the treasury for just twelve months — just to see if it were possible. It is not — at least with this crowd.
All three of the presidential candidates voted for the amendment, but have used earmarks. Both McCain and Obama have released records on their earmarks while Clinton has been less forthcoming.
Clinton set the high mark among the three for use of earmarks- raking up an astonishing
$342 million worth of earmarks last year — putting her in the top ten senators cashing in on this roundly condemned practice.
Obama secured $98 million in funding for Illinois projects.
For the full story, click here.
Ms: If true, that might have been helpful to add to your post.
mespo, nancy pelosi’s statements regarding eliminating earmarks as part of congressional reforms that were repeated by Senator Reid and Democrat leaders in the Senate:
Democrats in Senate Fail to Block Bill on Ethics
By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK
Published: January 12, 2007
WASHINGTON, Jan. 11 — After campaigning for months on a promise to tighten ethics rules, Senate Democratic leaders tried unsuccessfully Thursday to block a measure that would shine a light on the shadowy practice of earmarking federal money for lawmakers’ pet projects.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/12/washington/12ethics.html
Kermudgeon: Your post would make some sense if Pelosi was seated in the Senate which, of course, she is not. Do all conservatives regard English as a second language?
Nancy Pelosi
http://www.house.gov/pelosi/
“The 110th Congress is making progress for the American people on the toughest challenges we face. For too many years, these challenges have gone unaddressed. We put the interests of all Americans ahead of the special interests by passing tough Congressional ethics reform, restoring “pay-as-you-go” budgeting, and restricting spending earmarks.”
Oops. Pelosi’s office must have forgot to delete “earmarks” from her web site since they had no intention of cleaning them up AFTER Democrats ran on a campaign that included ending earmarks.
This went pretty near party lines, 46 of the 71 voting against Americans and for earmark waste were Democrats, the balance were GOP.