My distinguished colleague from West Virginia

[Dinner]

Originally posted by DinoDoc
Byrd Droppings

"You might as well slap my wife as take away my highway money." - Sen. Robert Byrd

That list was impressive but their wrong if they consider highways, canals, and locks to be wasted money. Same goes with the cancer research center. Those are exactly the types of projects the federal government should be spending money on (interstate commerce and scientific/medical research). I do wish the system was different so that one man in a key spot can't funnel funds to his home state though.

It would be nice if there was an independent commission for these sorts of things where spending could be based upon need. Still that website really was unfair to Byrd even though I conceed that many of those projects were pork and the guy is overly found of maning things after himself.

[mrmitchell]

Pork is such a minute portion of government spending that the amount of attention drawn to it is hilarious.

[Kuciwalker]

That list was impressive but their wrong if they consider highways, canals, and locks to be wasted money.

Ditto for bridges...

Same goes with the cancer research center.

In West Virginia?

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Admiral
Hopefully, however, he'll be balanced by Democrats committed to fiscal responsibility and Republicans either equally committed

[Drake Tungsten]

Spiff understands our political system better than a lot of Americans do...

[Lonestar]

I'm Hoping for rampant Coal Usage as our new Energy Policy!

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten
Spiff understands our political system better than a lot of Americans do...

[Admiral]

Originally posted by Spiffor

So I admit to being a bit of an idealist, but the Democrats have lately become deficit hawks, and know that they have to differentiate themselves from the GOP status quo. The Republicans, meanwhile, may take their defeat as a call to go back to their roots, which is small government, which is less pork.

[Ned]

Perhaps now, finally, Bush will begin using the veto to control spending. Bush is the main reason spending is beyond the pale. Not good-old-boys like Sheets Byrd.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by mrmitchell
Pork is such a minute portion of government spending that the amount of attention drawn to it is hilarious.

You have to understand that some people here make threads based upon what is currently published in right wing blogs or websites. That stuff is designed to be partisan so they won't talk about so and so is big on building highways in his state but only gets 0.00000000000000000001% of the budget. Instead they'll whine endlessly about "The Kind of Pork" because the guy managed to get funding for a new canal and lock system in his state.

They, of course, do not want to look at the defense budget where some 10% of the national budget is spent on weapon systems. Weapon systems of dubious value but incredible cost. Weapon systems which are completely unable to do their stated mission, which have failed every test, yet which (via a system of bribery and corruption) the defense contractors still get billions more for their failed systems. If you care about misuse of funds then the defense procurement system is certainly THE place to start cutting and reforming.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Ned
Perhaps now, finally, Bush will begin using the veto to control spending. Bush is the main reason spending is beyond the pale. Not good-old-boys like Sheets Byrd.

I'll agree that Bush was a major cause of the spending because he wouldn't use his veto. It was clear that the White House had a deal with the Republican Congress though. The White House would let the Republican Congress spend what ever pork it wanted and in return Bush would get to push through what ever bill he wanted no matter how poorly thought out or wrong headed.

Since the Democrats now control Congress that deal won't be continuing. We can now expect a more advisarial relationship which will actually be better for the country in the long run. Less spending and less extremist legislation will get passed.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Admiral

So I admit to being a bit of an idealist, but the Democrats have lately become deficit hawks, and know that they have to themselves to be different from the GOP status quo. The Republicans, meanwhile, may take their defeat as a call to go back to their roots, which is small government, which is less pork.

Pelosi has said one of the first things she'll do is pass legislation requiring all new appropriations to be pay as you go like occured during the 1988-1992 period (and continued by Republicans 1992-1998 or there abouts). Under the old pay as you go rule no new spending could be approved unless either tax increases or off setting spending cuts in other areas had already been passed to pay for it. That's great news since it prevents the government from just spending, and spending, and spending.

[Wycoff]

Originally posted by Oerdin
You have to understand that some people here make threads based upon what is currently published in right wing blogs or websites. That stuff is designed to be partisan so they won't talk about so and so is big on building highways in his state but only gets 0.00000000000000000001% of the budget. Instead they'll whine endlessly about "The Kind of Pork" because the guy managed to get funding for a new canal and lock system in his state.

Isn't this a prime example of the pot calling the kettle black? Don't you do the exact same thing, except for the Democrats?

Anyway, I don't find Byrd pork to be that distressing. West Virginia needs all the work projects that it can get. The highway projects gives West Virginians good work, and the quality road network that results from them allow us to speed through West Virginia as fast as possible.

[Dinner]

No. Most of my stuff comes from the main stream media. Occassionally it is from a blog but only if it is a really juicy bit which hasn't hit the MSM yet. To my knowledge on the few occassions when I have posted a link to a blog it has panned out and been picked up by the MSM.

[Impaler[WrG]]

I was thinking perhaps the Ear-marking could be replaced by a system of just massing a Big bill that gives every state goverment a Big wad of money to spend how ever they want.

It would be a lot more transparent as to who's getting what and Legislators get to take credit for bringing back the bacon without getting involved in details or being blamed if the money gets spend on a stupid bridge.