Wednesday, March 11, 2009

President Obama on earmarks

President Obama spoke today on the subject of earmarks.

From Daily Kos:
Although his tone was calm and measured, and while he never mentioned the Republican Party by name, President Obama quite clearly called the GOP out for its hypocritical attempt to exploit the earmarks issue.




Not only is a huge percentage of the earmark "protesters" standing in line with THEIR hands out, but consider how John McCain has made a career out of grandstanding his opposition to earmarks while his little home state of Arizona receives approx. $1.29 in return for every dollar it pays, while Connecticut receives a piddling 69 cents for that same buck. (2006 figures, the latest I've found)

It's pretty easy for McCain to be a whiner when he's clearing 60 cents MORE on every dollar than we receive in Connecticut. Who needs earmarks when you get an unbelievable return on your money?

4 comments:

claymonster said...

I agree that many repubs are being hypocritical on the earmark issue. However, let's use Obama's own logic as to how Connecticut fares so much worse than Arizona in the pork game.
Rich people live in Connecticut. They need to spread the wealth to poorer states, such as Arizona. Just as welfare recipients will always vote to extend their benefits, to have the producers of the country pay to subsidize the non-producers, states with less per capita income will always seek more "return on their dollar" in the porkstakes.

CT Bob said...

Heh heh. Boy, I bet Obama would love to have had a rewind button when he blurted out that "share the wealth" phrase.

It does make some sense that because CT's per capita income is higher than AZ's, the return would be less for us if we're going by tax dollars. But it still works out that John McCain's state is much better off by this sharing of wealth, so it's easier for him to complain about other people's earmarks since he doesn't need as many.

Anonymous said...

Bob,

ALL THE EARMARKS combined equal less than 1% of the federal budget.

The game played by McCain is sickening. He Whines incessently about earmarks while whispering in Sen. Kyls ear which ones he wants put on Kyls list he wants added to the budget.

Earmarks are a RIGHT of members of Congress as part of the power of the purse and will NEVER be totaly eliminated.

ctkeith

Anonymous said...

"Rich people live in Connecticut." I know, I'm stumbling over them every day here in BoomTown New Britain. Especially around the Food Share trucks that come to town, God Bless 'Em.
McCain must be also whispering in his buddie Joe L's ear for our thirtyone cent share too.
New Britain or Waterbury or Bridgeport and the rest of us don't want foodshare or Mcain's share. We want Chinese style oily, sweaty JOBS. JC Sr