Sarah Palin Brings Home The Bacon

[JohnnyMack]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/...n4406380.shtml

(Political Animal) BRINGING HOME THE BACON.... To hear John McCain tell it, one of the biggest problems with the political system in Washington is the way in which the federal government spends money. Special interests hire lobbyists, quietly secure lucrative earmarks, and tax dollars are wasted on pork-barrel projects.

The problem, though, is that McCain's running mate has hired lobbyists to quietly secure lucrative earmarks, receiving millions of tax dollars on pork-barrel projects.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin employed a lobbying firm to secure almost $27 million in federal earmarks for a town of 6,700 residents while she was its mayor, according to an analysis by an independent government watchdog group.There was $500,000 for a youth shelter, $1.9 million for a transportation hub, $900,000 for sewer repairs, and $15 million for a rail project -- all intended to benefit Palin's town, Wasilla, located about 45 miles north of Anchorage.

When McCain introduced Palin as his running mate, he touted her opposition to wasteful spending, including the infamous "bridge to nowhere." McCain, however, didn't know what he was talking about, because Palin actually supported the project, and kept the money allotted for it.

As it turns out, the problem goes much further. Palin didn't seek or receive any pork-barrel projects from Congress immediately after she became mayor of the small Alaskan town, but before long, she was hiring well-connected lobbyists to help bring in nearly $27 million in earmarks over a four-year period.

In other words, Palin was engaged in the exact same activities McCain points to as the problem with the political process. McCain, unknowingly, has been blasting his own running mate's conduct.

With this in mind, I have two follow-up questions. First, did McCain know about Palin hiring lobbyists to secure more pork-barrel spending for her small town? And second, now that he knows, does McCain support Palin having hired lobbyists to secure nearly $27 million in earmarks?

McCain brags about never having sought an earmark for Arizona. That's not patently false, but putting reality aside, it sounds as if McCain, on principle, should be prepared to denounce his running mate's lobbying efforts, right?

I loves me some bacon.

[Widescreen]

I wish there was something more forceful than

[JohnnyMack]

You could do it twice



or type

x Infinity

[Position Limit]

looks like you need to define for yourself what waste and neccessity is baconboy. from what you posted, it doesnt sound like a youth shelter, and sewer system upgrade for the town she presided over was'nt pork spending. you sound like your new to this game so i will clue you in. typically pork spending is associated with wasteful projects. if you are not new to this game, then you really need to think outside of the box. good luck.

[olevetonahill]

Please God Make it stop . Please ?

[SoonerBorn68]

Johnny, you're turning into Vaevictus--aka link boy.

[Hamhock]

clearly, sewer = waste.

[JohnnyMack]

Johnny, you're turning into Vaevictus--aka link boy.

I just wanted to throw it out there, see if we got any nibbles and then get started. I'm too lazy to type a rant right now.

[NormanPride]

Well, I mean it's not good.. but isn't $27M like a drop in the bucket? And compare that to other cities its size... has she done the same thing as governor? These are the questions I would ask.

[SoonerBorn68]

clearly, sewer = waste.

What a load of crap.

[JohnnyMack]

The point is that McCain likes to act holier than thou about this kind of situation and wants to portray Palin as some sort of outsider who will bring about change when in reality she's just another politician.

[Hamhock]

The point is that McCain likes to act holier than thou about this kind of situation and wants to portray Palin as some sort of outsider who will bring about change when in reality she's just another politician.

ron paul 2008

[JohnnyMack]

ron paul 2008

He sounds better and better all the time

[r5TPsooner]

Top of the Ticket


New Pig Book says Hillary Clinton's tops in pork spending, Barack Obama's 2nd, but John McCain had none!

The nonpartisan taxpayer watchdog group Citizens Against Government Waste is out with its newest Pig Book, an overwhelming detailing of all 11,610 pork barrel projects inserted in the current fiscal year's appropriations bills by individual members of Congress.

These semi-secret spending measures cost taxpayers New York Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on the phone no doubt arranging another legislative earmark that makes her the biggest pork barrel spender of the remaining White House candidates, according to the newly released Pig Bookan extra $17.2 billion this fiscal year alone. This is the first year legislators have had to attach their names to these measures.

That's B for billion dollar$. In extra spending. That typically didn't go through the usual legislative committee screening. A huge increase over the previous year.

And guess which one of the surviving presidential candidates likes pork the most? And the least?

According to the Pig Book ("The Book Washington Does Not Want You to Read"), New York Sen. Hillary Clinton is our new grand national oinker among presidential contenders for most pork barrel spending. She inserted a whopping 281 individual spending projects into bills for the benefit of New York interests at the cost of taxpayers everywhere.

That totals $296.2 million.

The new national hero, on the other hand, for not inserting one penny of pork barrel spending is the Republican Party's presumptive nominee, Sen. John McCain of Arizona. As a longtime staunch opponent of such earmarks, McCain may be expected to raise the subject of such special spending if Clinton becomes his Democratic opponent in the fall's general election.

He may also bring it up if his opponent is Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, who may be a freshman senator but still isn't shy about inserting special earmarks into legislation cataloged by the taxpayer group's annual report. He accounted for 53 special earmarks, totaling almost $97.4 million.

This includes about $402,000 for a juvenile delinquency program at the Shedd Aquarium and $383,000 for another ethanol research plant.

Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, who still technically is in the GOP race, has campaigned against large government seeping into the lives of American citizens. However, according to the Pig Book, that didn't keep him from proposing eight pork-spending bills totaling $22 million, including nearly $4 million to alter a Galveston bridge.

[olevetonahill]

The point is that McCain likes to act holier than thou about this kind of situation and wants to portray Palin as some sort of outsider who will bring about change when in reality she's just another politician.

And your just another Mouth stirring the POT

[Position Limit]

The point is that McCain likes to act holier than thou about this kind of situation and wants to portray Palin as some sort of outsider who will bring about change when in reality she's just another politician.

does Palin have a record of holding members of her own party accountable for past transgressions in alaska? and if so, would that qualify McCain to portray Palin as an "outsider" who could possibly bring an authenic sense of change to town as filthly as D.C. ? also, has McCain been outspoken with concern to pork spending over the years and has a better record than that of the democrat ticket? if both answers to these two questions is "yes", then do you wish to rescind to above statement?

[NormanPride]

The point is that McCain likes to act holier than thou about this kind of situation and wants to portray Palin as some sort of outsider who will bring about change when in reality she's just another politician.

If you're looking for someone who's not just another politician, then Obama is definitely not your best choice. Best vote Mickey Mouse in '08, son.

[JohnnyMack]

I'm an idiot.

[JohnnyMack]

does Palin have a record of holding members of her own party accountable for past transgressions in alaska? and if so, would that qualify McCain to portray Palin as an "outsider" who could possibly bring an authenic sense of change to town as filthly as D.C. ? also, has McCain been outspoken with concern to pork spending over the years and has a better record than that of the democrat ticket? if both answers to these two questions is "yes", then do you wish to rescind to above statement?

No.

[achiro]