FreedomTalks

Watch this great video of Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) as he stands up for the taxpayers. Nothing new on his part, just more of the same bold leadership. And nothing new from his colleagues, just more of the same fiscal irresponsibility.

As Jason Embry of the Austin American-Statesman reports, Texas Senator Kay Baily Hutchison is refusing to disclose her earmark requests.
Hutchison has gone to greater lengths than any other Austin-area member of the House or Senate to conceal the earmarks she is seeking. The American-Statesman recently asked those lawmakers for the earmarks they are requesting in […]

The New York Times reports on the latest method legislators are using to mask wasteful spending — “soft earmarks.”
With great fanfare, Congress adopted strict ethics rules last year requiring members to disclose when they steered federal money to pet projects. But it turns out lawmakers can still secretly direct billions of dollars to favored organizations […]

The editors of Roll Call are calling for a House ethics investigation of Jerry Hurckes, chief of staff to Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-IL).  As the pressure from the media and bloggers picks up over the next few days and weeks, look for something to happen. If you’d like to call and ask Rep. Lipinski what […]

The chief of staff for Rep. Dan Lipinski brags about bringing home the bacon for purely political purposes. This man is gloating about his corrupt practices. It’s time to put an end to the wasteful, and often corrupt, practice of earmarking.
The Chicago Sun-Times has the story about the braggart chief of staff, Jerry Hurckes.
What has […]

The Boston Herald has this heartwarming story about how earmarks can bring old friends and different political parties together.  The apparently very philanthropic Democratic Congressman Bill Delahunt secured a $1.1 million earmark for his old friend, former  Republican Congressman  Amory Houghton, to protect Houghton’s expensive waterfront home from flooding.
This suddenly makes my own gifts of […]

FW Chairman Dick Armey recently took on the issue of earmarks over at Townhall:
There are three groups of people who regularly spend other people’s money: children, thieves, and politicians. All three of these groups need supervision—a watchful, responsible eye who keeps them in line. For children, that means parents. For thieves, that means police […]

Hillary Clinton wants Congress to put up $30 billion to prop up investors and others who can’t made bets on the housing market and can’t afford their mortgages. Meanwhile, she’s reiterating her call for a five-year freeze on subprime interest rates, an idea with serious potential detriment. Clinton is doing her best to […]

In a disappointing turn, the Senate voted last night against the DeMint amendment for a moratorium on earmarks for the 2009 fiscal year.  The good guys voting for the ban:

Alexander (R-TN)
Allard (R-CO)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Bayh (D-IN)
Burr (R-NC)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Clinton (D-NY)
Coburn (R-OK)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
DeMint (R-SC)
Dole (R-NC)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Feingold (D-WI)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Lieberman (ID-CT)
Martinez (R-FL)
McCain (R-AZ)
McCaskill (D-MO)
McConnell (R-KY)
Obama […]

These remarks by the Clinton and Obama campaigns are certainly good news on the earmark front, but, unfortunately, the overall outlook for reform still isn’t good.