McConnell Says Banning 'Earmarks' Is Complicated

[stubtoe]

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=131141113

Boehner, Rand Paul, and Mitch now waffling on "earmarks". Well, now that they've got the house, I suppose they need to bring home the pork after all, right?

So much for cutting spending by the GOP.

[peacebird]

1. my fear is they will "balance" the budget by gutting social sec & medicare

and all other programs they see as "entitlements" (in other words the safety net) AND gorge on pork for their pet constituencies and favorite corporate masters

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

7. Earmarks aren't even a zit on the ass of social security or medicare.

They are such a small part of the overall federal budget that it's really rather bullshit that the subject even gets considered at all. The offset you're talking about wouldn't even be noticeable.

[DainBramaged]

2. Uh we still have the Senate and White House

[rhett o rick]

11. Bull shit. We never had the Senate. nm

[DainBramaged]

12. OK, we thought we had the Senate......

:evilgrin:

But we'll knuckle under yet again.....

[Bluzmann57]

3. Nope. They said they were going to do it

So they damn well better do it. Oh and one more thing, McConnell is still the minority leader. So why does he think he has any stroke at all? Reid or whomever emerges as Majority leader needs to remind him of this fact.

[digitaln3rd]

4. Surprised?

It's "complicated" because they have to figure out a way to cut everyone else's earmarks but theirs. ;)

[Enrique]

5. Teabaggers don't do complicated

or maybe they're all a bunch of hypocrites and they won't care.

[TroglodyteScholar]

6. They're working night and day...

...on a plan that denies earmarks for D districts while automatically approving all earmarks in R districts.

Give it time.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

8. To some extent, they are right. It's not that easy.

But as others mentioned, they promised it, so it's time to deliver. Good effing luck.

[dhpgetsit]

9. Tea Party, meet Reality.

Banning earmarks is very complicated. There just isn't enough time in the legislative calendar to bring every little thing to a vote.
But making them transparent so that it is always possible to know who added what and why doesn't sound too complicated. Can we just have that?

[SalmonChantedEvening]

10. Gray. Test. Paige.

:kick:

[applegrove]

13. The democrats should force the GOP to do away with all earmarks. It would

play well with the tea baggers and hell, it would save a lot of money. I hope the dems pick up on this and run with it. And go after agricultural subsidies while they are at it.

[Johonny]

14. people that vote for them don't care though

They vote for the guy in the Jersey. Don't care what they do as long as they are on their team. Just the way the GOP voter always been.

[Historic NY]

15. How so? you either for budget reform & spending decrease or spending frivolously...

it my money (you know) a US taxpayer.

[Historic NY]

16. Spend thrifts...pork doesn't reduce wastefull spending.