Obama says (with a straight face) there are no earmarks in this bill. The Republicans beg to differ.
From CNN, with helpful commentary from me.
• $2 billion earmark to re-start FutureGen, a near-zero emissions coal power plant in Illinois that the Department of Energy defunded last year because it said the project was inefficient.
• A $246 million tax break for Hollywood movie producers to buy motion picture film.
• $650 million for the digital television converter box coupon program.
• $88 million for the Coast Guard to design a new polar icebreaker (arctic ship). [Isn't breaking polar ice some sort of Global Warming felony?]
• $248 million for furniture at the new Homeland Security headquarters.
• $600 million to buy hybrid vehicles for federal employees. [This is what is known as Hoax Pork]
• $400 million for the Centers for Disease Control to screen and prevent STD's. [$400 billion to teach people to wear a condom?]
• $75 million for "smoking cessation activities."
• $200 million for public computer centers at community colleges. [What ever happened to using tuition?]
• $25 million for tribal alcohol and substance abuse reduction.
• $6 billion to turn federal buildings into "green" buildings. [More Hoax Pork]
• $500 million for state and local fire stations. [Didn't I already pay for these with my state and local taxes?]
• $1.2 billion for "youth activities," including youth summer job programs. [Welfare]
• $160 million for "paid volunteers" at the Corporation for National and Community Service. [What the hell is that?]
• $5.5 million for "energy efficiency initiatives" at the Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration. [And again, more Hoax Pork]
• $850 million for Amtrak. [Amtrak runs a billion dollar per year deficit - good money after bad]
• $100 million for reducing the hazard of lead-based paint. [which was outlawed and hasn't been used since the 1970's]
• $110 million to the Farm Service Agency to upgrade computer systems.
• $200 million in funding for the lease of alternative energy vehicles for use on military installations. [More Hoax Pork]
There is more at the link, but do the Republicans in the Senate need any more cover to vote no on the bill than this? It is a golden opportunity to create a crisp line between the power-drunk tax and spend liberals and fiscally conservative Republicans who want to preserve taxpayer money at a time when it is needed most.
If we were in a booming economy, with money pouring in to the Treasury, the Dems would probably pay no price at the ballot box for their folly. But in a time of a fiscal crisis, it is like giving your teenager a credit card with a trillion dollar credit limit.
If the Republicans vote no on this bill, they are perfectly positioned for a crushing midterm election victory.
