Rumors and Truth

[classicman]

The “Earmarks” Issue

Why oppose pork-barrel spending, also known as earmarks? Because it sets a bad example, for one thing; and because it is all funded by borrowing, and so adds interminably to the Federal budget deficit; and because it is tainted with fraud, abuse, and self-dealing.

As Sen. Everett Dirksen once said, “A billion here, a billion there, and next thing you know, you’re talking real money.”

The estimates of current “earmark” amounts range from $18,000,000,000.00 to more than $30,000,000,000.00 per year. This is not the total impact, however; because earmarks are 100 per cent deficit spending, they also add to the Federal interest we pay every year.

Deficit spending is a tax increase imposed on future taxpayers. By definition, those paying taxes in the future are not here to vote. Makes it much easier to burden them with taxes, doesn’t it?

On this issue, John McCain wins, hands-down, and his past performance indicates that he will make good on his promise to battle earmarks. But don’t take my word for it - - judge for yourself. Set forth below is a McCain versus Obama comparison on earmarks requested for Federal fiscal year 2008.

Earmarks requested by Sen. John McCain for fiscal year 2008: None.

Earmarks requested by Sen. Barack Obama for fiscal year 2008 (word-for-word, Sen. Obama’s own press release):

It totaled up at 900 million or so.
[bold mine]

[classicman]

McCain had criticized earmarks from Palin

WASILLA, ALASKA - For much of his long career in Washington, John McCain has been throwing darts at the special spending system known as earmarking, through which powerful members of Congress can deliver federal cash for pet projects back home with little or no public scrutiny. He's even gone so far as to publish "pork lists" detailing these financial favors.

Three times in recent years, McCain's catalogs of "objectionable" spending have included earmarks for this small Alaska town, requested by its mayor at the time -- Sarah Palin.

Now, McCain, the likely Republican presidential nominee, has chosen Palin as his running mate, touting her as a reformer just like him.

McCain has made opposition to pork-barrel spending a central theme of his 2008 campaign. "Earmarking deprives federal agencies of scarce resources, at the whim of individual members of Congress," McCain has said.

[TheMercenary]

Classic! stop repeating those facts. It confuses people!

[classicman]

HOMELESS 'DRIVEN' TO VOTE OBAMA

CLEVELAND - Volunteers supporting Barack Obama picked up hundreds of people at homeless shelters, soup kitchens and drug-rehab centers and drove them to a polling place yesterday on the last day that Ohioans could register and vote on the same day, almost no questions asked.

The huge effort by a pro-Obama group, Vote Today Ohio, takes advantage of a quirk in the state's elections laws that allows people to register and cast ballots at the same time without having to prove residency.

Republicans have argued that the window could lead to widespread voter fraud because officials wouldn't have an opportunity to verify registration information before ballots were cast.

Among the volunteers were Yori Stadlin and Vivian Lehrer of the Upper West Side, who got married last week and decided to spend their honeymoon shepherding voters to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.

Early today, Stadlin's van picked up William Woods, 59, at the soup kitchen of the Bishop Cosgrove Center.

"I never voted before," Woods said, because of a felony conviction that previously barred him from the polls. "Without this service, I would have had no way to get here."

Well isn't that last bit special?

[BigV]

Oh my Gawd!

People voting. Obeying the law. Encouraging civic responsibility and involvement. WTF?

Don't the republicans know any bums or crooks? Or are they just unwilling to soil the upholstery?

Seriously, what a non-news story. The implication that there's some illegal activity here... where's your smoking gun?

Yes, the republicans have protested. They took their case to the Ohio Supreme Court and lost. This sounds like sour grapes to me.

Read for yourself.

[Shawnee123]

Moderates hate when homeless people vote?

[Trilby]

Even insane people are allowed to vote. Unless you are currently in prison, you are allowed to vote.
Now. This isn't about me or how many times I voted. It's about equality!

[Pico and ME]

Good one Shawnee.

[classicman]

Note the thread it is posted in and that I neither condoned nor condemned it. I just posted it as food for fodder. Way to jump all over something that didn't exist. Boy you all seem a little overtly sensitive lately.

[Happy Monkey]

If "food for fodder" is not intended to mean "fodder for discussion", maybe you should define it. You seem to be taking the response to your post a bit "overtly" sensitively.

[Shawnee123]

Moderates hate when homeless people vote?

That's "jumping all over something?"

Really, and I mean this with all due respect, it seems you are the sensitive one these days. No one can joke with you, you cry "moderate" over and over then consistently use the far right view to, seemingly, get something over on the liberals, then when someone calls you on it you say you're being attacked, the person is being unfair, or you claim moderation again.

Seriously, Classic, what's up? :trulyconcerned:

[classicman]

Originally Posted by Happy Monkey

If "food for fodder" is not intended to mean "fodder for discussion", maybe you should define it. You seem to be taking the response to your post a bit "overtly" sensitively.

Well then HM, maybe someone should be discussing that instead of the poster. You think?

[glatt]

Classicman, Liberty University, which is a private christian university located in the battleground state of Virginia, has about 11,000 students. The overwhelming majority of them are conservative Republicans. Many of them are from out of state. The university administration has been actively working to get those out of state and unregistered students to register to vote locally in Virginia because most of them come from home states that are solidly going for one candidate or the other. Their vote counts more in Virginia.

Anyway, not only is Liberty University registering all these new voters, it is also CLOSING THE SCHOOL on election day to give everyone the chance to vote, and it is driving the students to the polls.

Jerry Fallwell, the founder of the university, stated "Liberty University's 11,000 students and 4,000 faculty and staff could cause Liberty to become known as the university that elected a president!"

As a moderate, how do you feel about this?

[classicman]

Originally Posted by glatt

Classicman, Liberty University, which is a private christian university located in the battleground state of Virginia, has about 11,000 students. The overwhelming majority of them are conservative Republicans. Many of them are from out of state. The university administration has been actively working to get those out of state and unregistered students to register to vote locally in Virginia because most of them come from home states that are solidly going for one candidate or the other. Their vote counts more in Virginia.

Anyway, not only is Liberty University registering all these new voters, it is also CLOSING THE SCHOOL on election day to give everyone the chance to vote, and it is driving the students to the polls.

Jerry Fallwell, the founder of the university, stated "Liberty University's 11,000 students and 4,000 faculty and staff could cause Liberty to become known as the university that elected a president!"

As a moderate, how do you feel about this?

Hmm seems like a loaded question to me. Then again I've already been accused of being overtly sensitive once today. Maybe I am.

I find this a very different set of circumstances - everyone knows what this school and Falwell are about. I cannot really see the comparison between this and picking people out of homeless shelters and off the streets. Sorry.

[classicman]

Seriously? Shawnee? Are you - I really hate to say this, but I honestly don't believe you. OK? - Put me back on ignore like you said I was and lets just leave it at that - Mmmkay?

If you were "truly concerned" you would have responded to one of the several PM's I sent you.