Can you say bribery? hmmm.....pretty shady business...v.Washington State

[bheld]

Originally Posted by Thorgrim

now can we finally realize the stupidity in raging an online war for ELIMINATING ALL EARMARKS and talk about reality?

What is with the constant cynicism?

[RMNIXON]

Originally Posted by bheld

I just have a hard time understanding how or why congress even has the authority to direct governmental departments to make specific purchases in the first place. It's micromanagement on steroids.

Approve the budget, supply the funds, make sure they're doing their jobs. That's all congress has to do.

Instead of being the careful manager or taxper money they are stuck a giant competition to drag as much taxpayer funds back to their district as possible. The problem is every single member of the House and Senate is doing the same thing at the same time. This is not a productive way to fund what is needed without throwing handfuls of money at what is not. Robert Byrd has even bragged about how he has put more money in his State than they pay in taxes. California always gets less.

It is not a Reality. It is a system we have allowed to be put in place and therefore it can be changed.

We need to get earmarks under control. We need spending bills that only contain items that reasonably apply to the subject of the bill.

And a Presidential Line Item Veto would not hurt.

But that last one has bipartisan objection!