Yea, I'm pretty upset about the earmarks myself. While I know some of them are actually good projects and deserve funding, I'm not sure where they should go. I don't think a project for astronomy research should be in a healthcare bill for example. But maybe putting them in the budget is appropriate? Then they don't have to come up with the money in another bill. I don't know. But ALL defense money should be awarded in contracts that are bid on, not in earmarks.
And I'm confused about this budget. I keep hearing that this isn't Obama's budget but one that was written before he took office, but there are things in there that he wants. I've heard different people speculating that he just wants to pass it so he can get on with business, and he is trying to pick his fights wisely, because he has two very big bills coming up this year, health care reform and energy, which he will need support to pass. What do you think? It seems to make sense to me. He has so much on his plate with this recession.
But I agree with you that companies under investigation should not be awarded new money. That's just crazy. Obama is changing the way defense contractors get money though. He announced it yesterday.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/12988730/P...s-March-4-2009