n the meantime .. let's take a peek at the presidential candidate earmark records for the 2008 budget:

Hillary Clinton: 212 earmarks totaling $266 million.

Barack Obama: 53 earmarks totaling $126 million

John McCain: 0 earmarks totaling $0.0 million.

Some are quite useful roads and bridges and electric grid upgrades...

While others are "bridges to nowhere" and "penut festival stadiums" and crap like that...

Because of the new "google for government" law that Obama and Coburn pushed through, we now get to see how this money is spent!

Unfortunately, implementation hasn't been completed yet, but Obama released the complete and itemized list of his earmarks for public review. Here's the list:

<link>

Hillary has not opted to disclose her earmarks, so we can't compare... but what, specifically, do you have a problem with in Obama's list?

(Remember that the citizens of his state pay in a great deal of taxes, asking for a small percentage of that money back in specific projects is not necessarily a crime).

i resent all of them. if he wants some of my money for those things, he should sponsor a bill that would fund it and not pin it on the donkeys tail. he's a wimp.

'Army Corps of Engineers in the City of Rock Island, to support construction of Sunset Marina Harbor Entrance Improvements, $500,000'

this one especially gets my dander up. he's going to get me to pay to dredge some harbor so that rich people can get their big carbon producing boats out into lake meeeeeeechigan.

dumbass.

'Adler Planetarium, to support replacement of its projector and related equipment, $3,000,000'

stupid. tear the fucking relic down.

Aurora University, to the Center for Latino Leadership and Education, $400,000

bleh!!!!

American Theater Company, for the construction of a new facility in Logan Square, $200,000

jeez

'Women's Sports Foundation, for its GoGirlGo! Chicago Initiative, $1,000,000'

can you say midnight basketball?

West Frankfort, IL, to support replacement of its Big Ditch Pumping Station, $550,000

let the morons in west frankfort raise their own friggen taxes.

University of Illinois, for the Urban Teaching and Leadership Center, $1,000,000
The Center will be established to reduce and eradicate the unacceptable achievement gap within the Chicago Public Schools.

now he want to bill me twice for the crappy schools he and his ilk aleady run

those are a few. the rest are dubious as well.

if he wants the money, be a man and sponsor a bill.

chimp wimp.

In 2006 McCain tried to get $10 million dollars to establish the William H. Rehnquist Center at the University of Arizona Law School. He is not a man without his pork.

Anyway, if you want pork, vote Republican. Earmarks went through the rooof when they took over Congress.

i thought muslims like osamba didn't like pork.

>John McCain: 0 earmarks totaling $0.0 million.

This says to me that McCain has done a pretty piss-poor job of representing his state this year.

I do have a problem with some of Obama's earmarks. Money should not be spent in a district by the federal government if it is not a federal responsibility. Upgrading a national park or highway is one thing. Money for a planetarium is not a federal project. Money for water towers is more a local problem or maybe a state issue.....

There is quite a bit here that should not come out of the federal budget.

I say that as an Obama supporter.

I have also read some of Hillary's earmarks. Most have been for reasonable expenses. Upgrades to military housing at Fort Drum. Some not so much.....the Woodstock museum is an example.

I don't think you can make that call based on earmarks.

I also don't think that you can be so sure that McCain has not bee responsible for spending money. If he votes for significant money to be spent on the border, wouldn't some of that money hit Arizona?

If you look into the earmarks Alaska's republicans allocated....the bridges to nowhere were over $320 million....that was just two projects.....I'd say Hillary and Obama are a bargain.

irvingchang:

i thought muslims like osamba didn't like pork.

See, right up to this post I was willing to perceive you as a reasonable, if angry, fellow American. But when you spew such complete and utter nonsense like that, you reveal yourself as nothing more than another hateful Republican.

Didn't it feel more satisfying when you based your arguments on facts, and not filthy lies?

Yet, Republicans have never been burdened with the truth.

'See, right up to this post I was willing to perceive you as a reasonable, if angry, fellow American. But when you spew such complete and utter nonsense like that, you reveal yourself as nothing more than another hateful Republican.'

did i ever give you the impression that i gave two squirts what you think? i didn't mean to mislead you.

the last thing i wanted to do was give the impression that i really care what some humorless dweeb things.

i know. we aren't supposed to make fun of osamba because he's a negro.