Bush: $70 Bil to blow things up in Iraq is necessary. But $10 Bil for infrastructure here in U.S. is wasteful.
posted by
Wally
9:07 AM
Bush signed a $555 Billion dollar spending bill on Wednesday, not noticing the hypocrisy involved in bitching about the 10 billion in earmarks put in by Congress (roughly equal parts Dem and Repub) to be spent here at home, after holding his breath and throwing a temper tantrum until he got 7 times that much for his ill-advised and miserably executed adventure in Iraq.
"I am disappointed in the way the Congress compiled this legislation, including abandoning the goal I set early this year to reduce the number and cost of earmarks by half," the president said in a statement. "Instead, the Congress dropped into the bill nearly 9,800 earmarks that total more than $10 billion. These projects are not funded through a merit-based process and provide a vehicle for wasteful government spending."
Bush, who had used his veto power to remain relevant in the debate with Democrats on national spending priorities, had agreed to sign the spending measure, which includes $70 billion for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, after winning concessions on Iraq and other budget items. The bill bankrolls 14 Cabinet departments and federal agencies and funds foreign aid for the budget year that began on Oct. 1.
Fiscal conservatism my ass Aside from the pure hypocrisy of demanding 70 billion to literally "blow up" and then whining about how 10 billion is wasteful, let's look at the earmarks in this bill in historical perspective. When taking this stroll down memory lane, remember the "fiscal conservatives" who have been in charge of Congress since 1994, and the White House since 2000.
Click the images above for more details thanks to Citizens Against Government Waste. You can also find more fun information like this to share with your friends and family at the CAGW website.
Permalink
::
0 comments
::
|
