The editorials were standard issue of we’ve come to expect from the Gazette on federal spending. The Janesville newspaper always attempts to portray itself as a staunch supporter of fiscal conservatism and wasteful spending. But they're never true to the cause they think they project.
Excerpt:Yeah...sure. We were against earmarks, before we were for them. Nothing speaks hypocrisy squared louder than this brand of phony conservatism. Make no mistake, they want their earmarks, but they also know when an opening comes to grandstand the issue against a Democratic President and the majority holding Congress.
Sure, many earmarks have merit. For example, the omnibus bill includes $950,000 to support worker retraining at Janesville’s Blackhawk Technical College.
In an op-ed posted in the Journal Times, Rep.Paul Ryan had this to say about the earmark process.
Journal Times Excerpt:The process? That’s like blaming the banking system when a bank robber gets caught. To the contrary, there’s something seriously wrong with members of congress when they wind up in jail over earmarks.
Earmarks aren’t inherently problematic, but when you have former members of Congress in jail for selling earmarks, there's something seriously wrong with the process.
And then we have the pure garbage written by the AP headlining the Janesville Gazette on Thursday. Headline read, ”Earmarks Speak Volumes” with the sub-title, “President stands with his allies when it comes to pet projects.” Never mind that the “pet projects” happen to be the entire country at a very crucial time in history. The writer then places the President of the United States in a subservient role to a few highly partisan congressmen.
AP Excerpt:To the contrary, McCain, Ryan and their Republican colleagues snubbed the President and squandered a golden opportunity to work with him. The country is burning and they're tearing down the President over a few pork barrel projects congress wrote. They're busy obstructing a President who has been in office for only 50 days and criticizing the Democrats' stimulus plans that are aimed at trying to bring the country out of Bush's country killing recession.
WASHINGTON—In proposing only modest changes in how lawmakers finance their pet projects, President Barack Obama tossed aside a golden opportunity to work with Sen. John McCain.
I applaud President Obama for remaining focused with the task at hand and pressing on with the $787 billion Economic Recovery and Re-Investment Act. The $7.7 billion charging up over 8,570 projects spread over nearly every congressional district in the country is the best use and smartest way to inject capital into our public works system with fast-acting job stimulus. Although these so-called “earmarks” are no guarantee that every district in the country will see a recovery, this is a good time to call your congressman and ask specifically, if they are aware of any poverty and joblessness in their district an earmark can help. To not write well-intentioned and fiscally responsible earmarks just to prove some phony ideological point is the highest degree of neglect of congressional duty.
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