Well, THAT Didn’t Take Long
Seriously — I’m thinking that that the GOP is going to have a float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade called the Hypocrisy Brigade. NOW, what?, you are asking. Earmarks! The showily disdained by repubs earmarks are now embraced again. And this time by John Kyl of the Arizona delegation who pretty much all turn their noses up at earmarks. When the camera is pointed at them, of course:
Only three days after GOP senators and senators-elect renounced earmarks, Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl, the No. 2 Senate Republican, got himself a whopping $200 million to settle an Arizona Indian tribe’s water rights claim against the government.
Kyl is a recent convert to the anti-earmark crusade of home state GOP colleague Sen. John McCain, who’s railed against them for years. The Interior Department sought only $56 million for Indian land and water claims in Obama’s proposed budget for this year and no money for Kyl’s project, or those wanted by Baucus and Bingaman.
The $200 million in Kyl’s measure would be used to construct and maintain a drinking water project on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation, including a dam, reservoir, treatment plant and delivery pipelines.
Democratic Senators Baucus and Bingaman also got their piece of the pie attached to this bill (meant to settle claims of African American farmers as well as American Indians for abuses suffered by various Federal agencies.), but Kyl specifically adding funds for his homestate project after he knew that the Department of Interior hadn’t requested enough money to cover it is the classic earmark.
So…we have earmarks back and a push to massively increase the deficit to give tax cuts to their wealthy handlers — is there anyone left who think these clowns give a damn about reigning in spending?
Tags: earmarks, Republican Hypocrisy
not anyone with any brains………..
Earmarks are fun to rail at. But… to those native Americans on the reservation, it’s about time the Indians got something back from us.
One, notice that these earmarks are very Democratic ones ( as opposed to Republican ones which would be something like building a four lane connector from Copeland’s house to 95).. They benefit real people with water, something some people might consider a necessity.
My guess is that these totals were bumped up to stain Kyl with the charge of hypocrisy, thereby giving Democrats a political sword to wield in the upcoming “Talking Head Wars”… that no one pays attention to.
Here is the pdf link: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CBoQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.frontiernet.net%2F~nndwr_wmb%2FPDF%2FNNwaterStrat.071700.pdf&rct=j&q=water%20conditions%20on%20navajo%20reservation&ei=NK7tTMe5KMKclgf47N2LAQ&usg=AFQjCNGCDojOhzr9WtGFddFOm995Mpt5jw&cad=rja
As you can see this project was initiated in 2000, and has been left to dry by 8 years of Republican majority control and stalemated by politics leading up to this past election. Now, it has been released during this lame duck session, much to the relief of the Navajo nation. Obviously no movement would go forward through a Republican House; for they concern themselves only with the wealthy.
The wealthy are mad because the lose some of their water rights to the Navajo nation in this deal, something Kyl will have to answer to.
Point, is that calling this an earmark, may be a stretch. It is a necessity, not wasted money.
But, thanks for bring all of this to our attention… 🙂
Cassandra, I have to cook turkey… Maybe you could find some interest in this link which I found, but now don’t have time to develop.
http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/the_budget_according_to_mccain_part_i.html
It’s about earmarks from a all too familiar source… 🙂
Point, is that calling this an earmark, may be a stretch. It is a necessity, not wasted money.
No one said that this was wasted money. I did say that this was an earmark — which by definition:
Nothing about necessity or waste. But it seems to me that if you are huffing and puffing about eliminating earmarks as a way to conserve the people’s money, than it is fair game to call you out on taking a whopper of an earmark. It’s still the hypocrisy, 24/7 from these people.
I’ve written often about the silliness of earmark cutting. Whether or not it is a good idea takes a backseat to the fact that cutting earmarks to balance the budget is much like scrounging the cushions of your sofa to come up with your mortgage payment. It plays to people who have no conception of how big the US budget is or how big its hole is. Because if they did, they would have been screaming back when Bush created this deficit with his first set of tax cuts.
It is so outrageous that Blacks and Native American Indians finally got justice. I understand why you are so burned up about it. Senators standing up for people and doing their job is not at all why send them there. We should take a stand for injustice and pervert the meaning of earmark reform because we cannot apply any common sense.
I am proud of you. You are now officially a mindless hack. Leave defending the oppressed and common sense to me.
POI, this action will likely save the government money by settling this issue and is supported by elements in the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
http://www.delawarepolitics.net/should-the-legislature-surrender-to-the-bureaucrats/ from the 22nd
“It is so outrageous that Blacks and Native American Indians finally got justice”
if you spent any time with the “real” Blacks and Native people David (instead of old, white patriots) you would not even think this drivel – do you really think that Blacks/Natives have Justice? – must not read many UN reports
” Leave defending the oppressed and common sense to me”
really – over on your blog you people want to
1.round up illegals with shotguns
2. outlaw abortions in all cases
3. turn back civil rights (that one must stick in your craw David – but you say nothing to me accepted by “the man”)
4. Covenant marriages (really?)
5. repeal the 14th amendment
6. stomp dissenters
DL didn’t make it inoi TNJ for racial violence spewing David – YOUR blog did…that not tell you anything
There is a HUGE Oreo Christmas tree in Dover – just near you- go take a good look at it….should look familiar
You are now officially a mindless hack.
And this coming from the King of the local village idiots.
Who will never see the irony of his defense of Kyl’s earmarks. These earmarks almost always go to *somebody’s* Good Project. His hypocritical tribe has been huffing and puffing over getting rid of earmark spending as wasteful. Yet here is the village idiot’s mindless hackery on display as he is defending AN EARMARK simply because one of his hypocritical tribe has asked for it.
It’s just more of your usual dishonesty, Delusional David.
If I may offer a suggestion. The Republicans can resolve this hypocrisy by simply including “they” “their” and “Democratic” when ranting against evil earmarks, while including “mine” “ours” and “Republican” when talking about the good earmarks.
Jon Kyl other closeted Republican homosexuals have already hinted at this resolution, but I’m thinking it needs to be made official.