Conservatives against Pork!

[GibbsRules!]

Nice to see the voice of reason surfacing...

Conservatives Demand Administration and Congress
Check Out-of-Control Federal Spending

Alexandria, VA - The American Conservative Union, the nation's oldest and largest conservative grassroots organization, today called on President Bush and the Republican leadership in Congress to take immediate action to rein in federal spending.

“Clearly the terrible tragedy resulting from the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina will require substantial federal resources to be expended, and all Americans support this relief effort,” said ACU Chairman David Keene. “But the idea that Congress should spend tens of billions of dollars on this relief effort in the absence of reprioritizing overall federal spending makes absolutely no sense.”

“ Let us not lose sight of the fact that prior to Hurricane Katrina, federal government spending was already spiraling out of control,” Keene said. “Excluding military and homeland security, American taxpayers have witnessed the largest spending increase under any preceding president and Congress since the Great Depression.”

Annual non-military and non-homeland security spending increased $303 Billion between Fiscal Year 2001 and Fiscal Year 2005. The acknowledged Federal Debt has increased over $2 Trillion since Fiscal Year 2000 and now stands at $7.9 Trillion.

“This ever mounting federal debt has been inexcusably passed on to future generations without regard as to how the debt will be repaid,” Keene said.

Source

and thank you Mr Meese.

Conservatives question spending
Their relief plan urges reallocating pork, lowering taxes, rolling back regulations

Washington -- The Republican-led Congress and President Bush have responded so far to Hurricane Katrina by throwing open the taxpayers' checkbook, a course of action that is stirring a debate among the capital's conservatives over whether their small-government philosophy is being pushed aside.

Congress has already appropriated $62.3 billion for Katrina's aftermath. Officials say the federal tab could easily exceed $200 billion.

Congress has also turned away from conservative orthodoxy, at least temporarily, by postponing plans for more tax cuts and reductions to the Medicaid program, which covers the poorest Americans.

To some conservatives, supporters of the Republican-dominated Congress and of the Bush administration, this slate of actions raises a host of questions: What is the federal government's proper role in relief and recovery from a natural disaster in such areas as educating the children of evacuees and providing medical coverage for people who've lost their homes and jobs? How should storm relief be paid for? How should shattered Gulf Coast communities like New Orleans or Gulfport, Miss., be rebuilt?

"Overreacting in Washington usually means throwing money at a problem,'' said former U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese, now chairman of the Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at the Heritage Foundation, the 33-year-old think tank that is enormously influential in Washington's conservative circles. "We want to be fiscally responsible.''

Source

[BurgundyNGold]

Where were these "conservatives" 5 years ago?

[Spence]

Tom DeLay told The Washington Times that even though the country is running gigantic budget deficits that the government is running at "peak efficiency" and there is no fat in the budget.

I have no idea if there is anything like a real conservative left in America, but I do know that if any real conservatives still exist, none of them are in government.

[GibbsRules!]

Originally Posted by Spence

Tom DeLay told The Washington Times that even though the country is running gigantic budget deficits that the government is running at "peak efficiency" and there is no fat in the budget.

I have no idea if there is anything like a real conservative left in America, but I do know that if any real conservatives still exist, none of them are in government.

Yep, Akh started a thread about that. Peak in terms of a whole new level I would accept, peak in terms a well oiled machine would truly be laughable.

[BurgundyNGold]

Originally Posted by Spence

Tom DeLay told The Washington Times that even though the country is running gigantic budget deficits that the government is running at "peak efficiency" and there is no fat in the budget.

I have no idea if there is anything like a real conservative left in America, but I do know that if any real conservatives still exist, none of them are in government.

There are so many things wrong with that sentence, I just don't know where to begin. Those are the kind of "out of touch" statements that a party makes just before they're voted out of power.

[sherry the moron]

September 15, 2005
Those Big Spending Republicans
By Debra Saunders

Conservative dean William Rusher issued this sage advice at the University Club in San Francisco last week: Don't expect Republican politicians to be faithful ideologues, they'll only break your heart.

My heart, I must say, never did go pitter pat for House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. Still, he done me wrong when, as The Washington Times reported Wednesday, he declared "victory" on congressional efforts to cut spending and said there was no fat left in the federal budget.DeLay personifies the most ugly reality Republican voters must face: When a Democrat is in the White House, GOP members of Congress at least give lip service to the idea of watching taxpayers' pennies, and they'll oppose the president's pork barrel projects. But with a Republican president and Republicans in control of both houses of Congress, they become high rollers.

Expecting Republicans to curb spending when they're in power makes about as much sense as standing between Sen. Joe Biden and a live mike.Not that the Dems are any better. As Tom Schatz, president of Citizens Against Government Waste, noted over the phone, party affiliation isn't the issue: "Anybody who is in power likes to spend money. That's generic. And appropriators in particular."

What to do? Citizens Against Government Waste has challenged members of Congress to sign a pledge to leave pork out of any Katrina relief package. So far, the pledge has found six takers, according to Schatz.They are all Republicans with good skinflint credentials: Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma; and in the House, Reps. Steve Chabot of Ohio, Chris Chocola of Indiana, Jeff Flake of Arizona and Lynn Westmoreland of Georgia. Westmoreland was one of 11 members of Congress to vote against the $51 billion Katrina relief bill, noting that the amount is "nearly three times the entire annual budget of my home state of Georgia."

Said Schatz: "Everyone's opening up their wallets to help (Katrina's victims) -- except members of Congress, who are opening up our wallets."Six takers is pretty pitiful, when you consider that this pledge simply asks members to promise that every dime of supplemental spending for Katrina clean-up actually goes to disaster relief. The pledge doesn't even address Citizens Against Government Waste's push to cut $24 billion from pet projects in the recently signed highway appropriations bill to offset some of Katrina's costs.

* * * http://realclearpolitics.com/Comment..._15_05_DS.html

[Ibleedburgundy]

Originally Posted by BurgundyNGold

There are so many things wrong with that sentence, I just don't know where to begin. Those are the kind of "out of touch" statements that a party makes just before they're voted out of power.

Your avatar rules.

I hope you are right but unfortunately my gut tells me there is 36% of American voters that will vote Republican no matter what. We're screwed. Here comes 8 years of Cheney to usher in the new 1 party system.

[RedskinsDave]

Originally Posted by Ibleedburgandy

Your avatar rules.

I hope you are right but unfortunately my gut tells me there is 36% of American voters that will vote Republican no matter what. We're screwed. Here comes 8 years of Cheney to usher in the new 1 party system.

More blaming the other guy. How about your folks come up with something, hmm, maybe, you know, like, I don't know, some ideas, ya think? (that was my best internet Stewie)

[Ibleedburgundy]

Originally Posted by RedskinsDave

More blaming the other guy. How about your folks come up with something, hmm, maybe, you know, like, I don't know, some ideas, ya think? (that was my best internet Stewie)

Glad to know you gave in to that garbage. Blame Kerry for not having a better plan for Bush's war than Bush himself (even though he did have his own plan, you probably never heard about it because Hannity didn't tell you). I guess rolling back the tax cut for the top bracket to avoid the emminant deficit is not an idea. Raising minimum wage is not an idea. Thanks for clearing that up for me. Kerry had 0 ideas. Any more wisdom you care to pass?

[RedskinsDave]

Originally Posted by Ibleedburgandy

Glad to know you gave in to that garbage. Blame Kerry for not having a better plan for Bush's war than Bush himself (even though he did have his own plan, you probably never heard about it because Hannity didn't tell you). I guess rolling back the tax cut for the top bracket to avoid the emminant deficit is not an idea. Raising minimum wage is not an idea. Thanks for clearing that up for me. Kerry had 0 ideas. Any more wisdom you care to pass?

Who mentioned the war or tax cuts? Oh yeah, you did. I mean IN GENERAL. All you and your leaders do is *** ******* ******* ******* ******* **** and moan about not being able to win anything. Again, come up with some ideas other than "those guys suck". Seriously, all you ever do is whine and accuse others of thinking their party does no wrong when that is really what you do more than anyone. You also accuse others of listening to talking heads when, again, you're the one doing that. Find me anyone other than you or Sherry who cares what those folks think.

[Spence]

Originally Posted by RedskinsDave

More blaming the other guy. How about your folks come up with something, hmm, maybe, you know, like, I don't know, some ideas, ya think? (that was my best internet Stewie)

Unless you were squeezing your goolies with both fists, you didn't get your voice up high enough.

[RedskinsDave]

Originally Posted by Spence

Unless you were squeezing your goolies with both fists, you didn't get your voice up high enough.

I took that from when he asked Brian how his book was coming. I only started watching recently and am sorry I missed so many laughs.

[Ibleedburgundy]

Originally Posted by RedskinsDave

Who mentioned the war or tax cuts? Oh yeah, you did. I mean IN GENERAL. All you and your leaders do is *** ******* ******* ******* ******* **** and moan about not being able to win anything. Again, come up with some ideas other than "those guys suck". Seriously, all you ever do is whine and accuse others of thinking their party does no wrong when that is really what you do more than anyone. You also accuse others of listening to talking heads when, again, you're the one doing that. Find me anyone other than you or Sherry who cares what those folks think.

It's true. I listen to the talking heads to find out what they are telling people. Unfortunately Rush has over a million listeners most of which are uneducated enough to believe his garbage and they all vote Republican These talking heads essentially take orders from the whitehouse and act as it's PR machine. They all respond in unison to each issue, using exactly the same phrases as if they were briefed with the same memo. Difference is, they, unlike Scott McClellan, give more insight as to how the Republican machine thinks.

Anyway, I'm not saying the Dems are squeaky clean. Look at this Senator from Louisianna, Edward Kennedy, Robert Byrd, Hillary Clinton. That said, right now they look less corrupt than the Republicans IMO.

[BurgundyNGold]

Originally Posted by RedskinsDave

Who mentioned the war or tax cuts? Oh yeah, you did. I mean IN GENERAL. All you and your leaders do is *** ******* ******* ******* ******* **** and moan about not being able to win anything. Again, come up with some ideas other than "those guys suck". Seriously, all you ever do is whine and accuse others of thinking their party does no wrong when that is really what you do more than anyone. You also accuse others of listening to talking heads when, again, you're the one doing that. Find me anyone other than you or Sherry who cares what those folks think.

I can't believe that *** ******* ******* ******* ******* **** got censored.

[RedskinsDave]

Originally Posted by BurgundyNGold

I can't believe that *** ******* ******* ******* ******* **** got censored.

Must be in anticipation of Hillary running for prez.