Pork Spending: Comparing the Candidates

[mikesilvia]

Isn't it great that Obama is spending $1 million a day of your money on his home state? Here are the numbers.

McCain has requested $15 million in his 25 years in Congress. In Obama's first 4 years as a Senator he has requested just under $932 million or $1 for each day he has worked (well, voted present). Just image the waste once Obama get's into office.

Read it again. $15 million in 25 years compared to just under $1 billion in 4 years.

Obama, on his Web site, has listed every earmark he's requested – but not necessarily received – during that time. It totals $931.3-million, even though the Illinois senator earlier this year said he would eschew any pork for fiscal 2009. The key phrase in McCain's mailer, "for every working day" is missing from the remarks McCain made in his Tampa speech. Obama was elected in 2004 and took office January 3, 2005. Since then, there have been about 930 working days, as they are defined by most people, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays, which would mean McCain is on solid ground in the mailer.

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/718/

[OnePimpTiger]

Moved to Politics & Religion

[haybierman]

mmmmmmmmmm.... poooooooooork.

[tnopud42]

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...bpalin02m.html You feel the same outrage toward Palin, right?

[ensbergcollector]

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...bpalin02m.html You feel the same outrage toward Palin, right?

I love how rather than respond to the thread, we just turn it into an obama vs. palin issue.

[Yanksfan396]

That just shows what he requested, not what he received. Hence, your thread is incredibly (surprise, surprise) misleading.

[tnopud42]

Don't believe I denied any of the facts given, did I? Simply stated that since McCain/Palin portray themselves as "reformers" and anti-pork barrel, it's a little disingenuous to slam Obama when part of the Republican ticket is just as pork hungry as the Dems. I asked a valid question. If you want to attack Obama, then the same outrage should be shown toward Palin.

VERY long but a list of Obama's earmarks - http://answercenter.barackobama.com/...ZHM9JnBfY2F0cz

[mikesilvia]

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...bpalin02m.html You feel the same outrage toward Palin, right?

Good point. One of the reasons I think John McCain will win because anytime experience or corrupt spending is brought up Obama supporters automatically concede victory to McCain and compare Obama to Palin. :)

While it does show that she asked for spending that article also shows she cut the stat's request by 2/3 or 1/5 depending on who you believe.

Palin also was admonished by the Fairbanks News-Miner, which chided her for "misplaced criticism" for suggestions that the state earmarks were pork-barrel projects.

Palin wrote that she supports state earmarks "when there is an important federal purpose and strong citizen support."


She also said in the News-Miner that she had slashed the state's earmark requests by nearly two-thirds, down from $550 million in 2007 to just under $200 million.

Now this I find curios.

Yet documents Palin's office released to The Seattle Times on Tuesday show her cuts in earmarks were far more modest than she claimed. Last year, Palin requested $254 million in earmarks, not $550 million, so her cuts this year were only 22 percent, not the 63 percent she claimed.

Does the author even know how to perform simple math?

A reduction from $550 million to $254 million is not a 22% cut. It is 53%.

So, this editorial written by a newspaper that backs Obama made a "mistake" I guess. :)

But I do see that Palin is a reformer, just not as much as McCain when it comes to wasteful government spending. Since McCain is running for President against a guy who was trying to spend $1 a day of our money on wasteful spending I give the edge to McCain/Palin.

Now since we are bringing up Vice Presidents let's take a look at Biden.

Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. is requesting more than a quarter-billion dollars in earmarks to pay for projects in his home state of Delaware in fiscal 2009, but Republicans want to know when he will release the wish lists from the rest of his 35-year Senate career.

Now what is funny is Biden refuses to release his 35 year earmark list. Here is what Obama said when Hillary refused.

"If Senator Clinton will not agree to join Senator Obama in releasing her earmark requests, voters should ask why she doesn't believe they have the right to know ... ." he said.

So, again we see Obama's double talk. When you oppose him he was everyone to see your earmark list. When you are his VP, no need to release it! :)

So, the HUGE state of Delaware is looking for $250 million. Since Biden won't show us his list I have to multiply 35 x $250 million to come up with some sort of number. That get's me $8.7 billion.

Delaware is the 45th largest state in the US regarding population and and 49th in size and Biden is asking for $250,000,000 for his state this year. What are they going to do? There are only 800k people there! At least in Alaska we get 20% of our oil from and they have to run a real National Guard with state exercises. And let's not forget while Biden is asking for lots of money Palin was cutting.

[shortking98]

Mike - I think they are saying Palin's request dropped from 254 to 200 not 550 to 200 or 254. That would put it in the right range and it sounds like they are saying the 550M previously reported was inaccurate

[mikesilvia]

Mike - I think they are saying Palin's request dropped from 254 to 200 not 550 to 200 or 254. That would put it in the right range and it sounds like they are saying the 550M previously reported was inaccurate

Hmmm...I think you are right. Doesn't that still mean her requests were MUCH lower than the previous year? Seems like they are playing games with the numbers.