Say Anything Blog

Conrad and Dorgan are great at getting the pork.  Many businesses in ND wouldn’t be around without federal pork.  What happens when those yahoos are out of DC?

Such is life in the nation’s third largest welfare state!

Earmarks are a dishonorable way to do business.

Earmarks are a dishonorable way to do business.

Especially for those of us who have their ears marked for you know what!

It’s not a dishonest way to do business.  It’s perfectly legal and ND ain’t the only place where this is happening. 

But to say that we have a strong economy in ND because of it and that it helps “economic development” is dishonest.

It’s not a dishonest way to do business.  It’s perfectly legal and ND ain’t the only place where this is happening. 

I think I’d qualify that by saying that earmarks aren’t inherently dishonest, but that the non-transparent way in which they’re appropriate currently certainly lends itself to corruption and dishonesty.

When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.

-- Thomas Jefferson

Rob’s recently listened-to songs:

I agree with that Rob.

I’d amend this to say “he non-transparent way in which they’re at time appropriated currently certainly lends itself to corruption and dishonesty.”.

Not all earmarks are non-transparent, most don’t involve nepotistic relations, most address legitimate infrastructural needs, so it seems to me that the rules for their inclusion need to be cleaned up.

This isn’t really about government waste, it’s about reducing opportunities for crooked government officials to exercise their corrupt human behavior.  Keeping in mind of course, you cannot legislate good morals.

On the other hand this is an example of earmarks gone wrong.

Dorgan feeds an huge earmark to his supporters, hires his daughter, who politics that earmarks are vital.

As Carrick says many earmarks are just fine, but this smells to high heaven due to the political aspects of it.

What’s going to happen to US industry when the global warming extremists like John McCain double the price of electricity?  I would think all these factories will close and set up in countries where they aren’t scared of technology.