Politics: December 2007 Archives
WRKO - Howie Carr remembers Dapper O'Neill
14-term Boston City Councilor Albert L. "Dapper" O'Neill passed away earlier this month. Columnist and talk show host Howie Carr remembers the last of the old-school Boston politicians, who had not a politically correct bone in his body. What other politician would drive around Boston with a bumper sticker reading, "Liberals: An American Cancer"?
WSJ.com: One-Man Gridlock: Meet Tom Coburn, Senate's 'Dr. No'
"Sometimes, Dr. Coburn, an obstetrician who sees patients one morning a week, disagrees with the proposals. As a fiscal conservative, he usually objects to what he sees as excess spending. Sometimes, he just wants to force a debate or improve on items that would otherwise fly through the Senate. In a crowded legislative calendar, not everything gets the scrutiny voters might imagine."
National Review Online: Tom Coburn on Defense Earmarks
The dirty secrets of defense earmarks: "Let me explain how the process of defense earmarks works in the halls of power: Very rarely does an experienced weapons-systems engineer, aerospace engineer or naval architect come to work in the Senate. Instead, earmark requests typically start with a constituent meeting or something worse. Those who review earmark requests -- unelected congressional staff -- often have little in the way of significant military or real world experience. Staff then seeks an endorsement by persons within the defense establishment who are hesitant to offend the institution that provides their funding.
"This process rarely produces anything objective, as the arguments made in support of a project often are provided by the same entity that would receive the proposed funding. The process is rigged: The sponsor of the project can claim his or her earmark has been vetted by the Defense Department while the approving entity, such as a Defense Department lab that wasn't funded in the president's budget, can benefit from increased funding via the earmark."
The Club For Growth - Kline Says No to Pork
It's not just Tom Coburn. Rep. John Kline (R.-Minn.) says, "I came in, somewhat naively I admit, thinking I was going to compete for my district, like everyone else does. I've got some very worthwhile projects. Then the realization kept coming back year after year that this is preposterous." Sen. Claire McKaskill (D.-Mo.) says no to pork, too. "If you know somebody or have a friend on the right committee, you get your individual project funded. That's not the way to spend taxpayer money."
