One thing I always loved about John McCain is his stance on earmarks. I don't understand why if he became president he vowed to "make them famous" and "you will know their names" but he can't do that as a senator. Regardless I hear frequently about how Democrats are for big government and spending the tax payer’s money. I decided to look into this a little. I thought you might find the information I collected interesting.
- The number of earmarks jumped from 3,000 in 1995 to 15,000 in 2005 (Republicans controlled both the House and Senate from 1995-2005)
- Comptroller General David M. Walker, who heads the Government Accountability Office, explained the extent of the affliction.
He calls earmarks “tainted,” saying they “corrupt the process.”
Pentagon officials told him, he said, they estimated that they received more than $20 billion in funding for projects that they had not asked for or did not need.
- In the most recent Omnibus bill the average cost of earmarks per Republican Senator was $47.10 million while the average cost of earmarks per Democrat Senator was $44.86 million.
- There has been a 25% reduction in earmarks since the Democrats regained control of Congress.
- The poorest states tend to have the most earmarks in what ends up being a personal stimulus bill for the Senators representing these states.
Yeah, I believe I heard that the #1 earmarker in the Senate is one of those anonymous senators from one of the gulf states. I think it is Wicker (R-MS). I don't know even know his first name. I think the only time I recall hearing his name is that he was reportedly ready to go with James Inhofe to the climate change meetings to Denmark to "debunk" the science.
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