Earmarks & Economy

Watching our currency decline is depressing. I’m considering putting some of my savings into a foreign currency because I don’t see any reason for the dollar to rise anytime soon. Bush is dumping trillions of dollars into Iraq and American companies who don’t pay income tax. Exactly how many trillions of dollars Bush has wasted is apparently debatable (1, 2). If history has been any indication - I’d at least start with the highest estimate. I suspect Bush is desperately trying to delay the point at which there is no doubt in anyone’s mind that he has been a miserable failure of a president (by keeping Iraq afloat on American debt-spending). I honestly didn’t suspect that google bomb would be so damn accurate, let alone an understatement! After the economy spirals downward even further - when people start losing their jobs and inflation soars - nobody is going to be happy with the President. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. Of course, if it does, by then there will be a Democrat in Office.

Back to the point. I was reading a post by Bill Moyers regarding earmarks. His podcast on earmarks issue made me mad as hell at how our tax dollars are being abused by our government. There was a great story about a company who gave a congressman campaign contributions, and subsequently got an earmark to make combat t-shirts for the Marines. Trouble was, these t-shirts weren’t actually designed for combat - they were flammable.

Democrats certainly aren’t innocent. It was so incredibly disappointing to see them take power in 2006 and then squander it and miss so many opportunities to use their power for good. Instead it was clearly “business as usual, but this year we get to wear the daddy pants”.

Earmarks are their own fucked up institution. Not even congress(wo)men know where other congress(wo)men’s earmarks are going to. Watch Rep. Flake (R-AZ) try to find out - it looks to me like the chairman tries to screw him by lying about the oral vote and then when Flake asks for a numerical count, the chairman postpones Flake’s request - you really have to see it to believe it: http://youtube.com/watch?v=OKb9bhXUpb4. Anyone know who that chairman is? I’m guessing he’s a Democrat. I’m sure that the Republicans pulled that shit when they were in power too, but that doesn’t make it right. Our government is sick and twisted people. And as long as we sit on our asses our government will continue to be broken. We should be marching on DC, taking our country back. Instead, we’re watching meaningless TV.