Earmarks

I am once again disappointed in Congress. All of them. Democrats and Republicans. House and Senate.

The stimulus bill that was just passed has 9000 earmarks.

Efforts to eliminate them from the bill have just failed in the Senate.

The Office of Management and Budget defines an earmark as “funds provided by the Congress for projects or programs where the congress circumvents the Executive Branch merit-based or competitive allocation processes...”

For the most part it’s PORK spending and PORK usually refers to spending that is intended to benefit constituents of a politician in return for their political support.

Right now we are all constituents of an economic downturn, a recession, even a depression and we need to work together to cut, conserve and construct a viable survival base for our collective future. We do NOT need to payback voters in specific districts with suspect programs and projects that only benefit the few.

I really don’t think these guys get it. A lot of people don't get it given that there are more hands out ready to grab from the peoples treasure. The consideration for people, families and basic human need is lost.

Thirteen million American kids go hungry every day and non-profits want some of the government largess to build parking lots and improve museums. Run that one by the hungry!

We’ve got an infrastructure that’s crumbling. A mercantile system that crumbling. Health care costs out of control, unemployment at seven percent, we are fighting two costly wars and people and organizations want money for parking lots.

Where is the Senate's common sense? Who is the "smeller" on this smell test?

Let us ban earmarks and teach our representatives or elect new ones who vow to be of service to the whole of America and then we can confront and conquer the real problems of today and the future.