Re: Sarah Palin supported Ketchikan ‘bridge to nowhere’ during 2006 race for Alaska G
Back on the topic side of things:
Binary Digit nailed it. I think. It seems different news sources are having disagreements on what she was asking for. Can we find some accuracy if she was wanting it to be solely state funded or federally funded?
BUT
Just this year, she sent to Sen. Ted. Stevens, R-Alaska, a proposal for 31 earmarks totaling $197 million — more, per person, than any other state.
Some of Palin's requests were for science research, such as $499,900 to assess halibut harvesting; others for lighting village airports in the Alaskan bush, where small planes and gravel runways may be the primary link to the outside world.
Palin's requests to Congress came at a time of huge federal deficits, while Alaska state revenue was soaring due to rising oil prices and a major tax increase on oil production that Palin signed into law in late 2007.
As a result, Alaska this year was in such a money-flushed condition — with no state income tax or sales tax and total state revenues of $10 billion, double the previous year's — that Palin gained legislative approval for $1,200 cash payments to every Alaskan.
No state income tax or sales tax and Alaska is demanding federal funds for pet projects? I don't like that.
I love this debate. So does this mean that the Independents and Democrats on this forum will now support eliminating earmarks and pork barrel politics in Washington?
Can we all make a pact to argue for the political defeat of ALL politicians in Washington who continue this practice?
If we cannot, then I can only presume you are all Liberal hypocrites who believe that earmarks and pork barrel politics are only okay if it is a Liberal practicing it.
Yesterday on the Senate floor, Majority Leader Harry Reid was caught pulling out every stop to kill his own party's plan for earmark reform.
So Senate Republicans, led by South Carolina's Jim DeMint, cheekily took the identical language of the House earmark bill and offered it as an amendment to the Senate version. Numerous Democrats instantly denounced it, apparently unaware (or unconcerned) that the language had been sponsored by Ms. Pelosi.
The seven Republicans who went along with Mr. Reid included some of the GOP's biggest spenders (Trent Lott) and Members of the Appropriations Committee
Mr. Reid was considering filing for cloture on the entire ethics bill, thereby foreclosing a vote on the current DeMint amendment
Earmark Entertainment | Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
In the House, there were three “Taxpayer Super Heroes” with a grade of 100 percent: Reps. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas), Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and F. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.). There were 59 “Taxpayer Heroes” with a grade of 80 percent or above. In 2006, there was one “Taxpayer Super Hero” and 40 “Taxpayer Heroes” so there was an improvement. On the lower end of the scale, there were two House members, both Democrats, who received a score of zero in 2007. In 2006, there were nine members with a zero rating.
The average scores were: House Republicans 60 percent, up 14 percentage points from their grade of 46 percent in 2006; House Democrats 5 percent, down 4 percentage points from their 9 percent score in 2006; House Republican Study Committee 73 percent, up 17 percentage points from their 56 percent score in 2006; and House Blue Dog Democrats 11 percent, down 9 percentage points from their 20 percent score in 2006.
In the Senate for 2006, there were no Taxpayer Super Heroes and unfortunately, that did not change for 2007. However, Sens. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), and John Ensign (R-Nev.) came close with scores of 97 percent. On the other end of the scale, 13 senators had a zero rating.
http://councilfor.cagw.org/site/PageServer?pagename=reports_Ratings_AtaGlance
House Highest
Republican: Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas), Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and F. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) 100%
Democrat: Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.) 69%
House Lowest
Republican: Ray LaHood (R-Ill.) 11%
Democrats: Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) and John Sarbanes (D-Md.) 0%
Senate Highest
Republicans: Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), and John Ensign (R-Nev.) 97%
Democrat: Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) 34%
Senate Lowest
Republican: Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) 17%
Democrats: Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii), Joe Biden (D-Del.), Robert Byrd (D- W.Va.), Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), Kent Conrad (D- N.D.), Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Carl Levin (D-Mich.), Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) all at 0%
Carry on!