How do you feel?
I'm finally watching the second debate (Hulu) and McCain just mentioned the Boeing tanker deal that he
ed over... there was a $35b contract that Air Force was looking to make for tankers, McCain fought against Boeing and for Northrop so now that $35b is going to a French company instead of an American company. It hurts Boeing's bottom line so it hurts Washington's state economy -- it hurts America's economy because that $35b is American taxpayers' money that's going overseas to fund French jobs (instead of American money funding American jobs)... when you consider those American Boeing workers would be paying about 25% tax the Boeing contract would've had a much lower bottom-line cost (a fourth of the $35b going back to Uncle Sam) even when you exclude the economic stimulus of the remaining 75%. McCain fought for something that hurts Americans and America's economy and now tries to use it as a poster child for his opposition of ear marks.
Anyway, that's a little off-topic because I'm bitter about McCain fighting to over us Americans -- my point is that earmarks really aren't that big of a problem, if a problem at all. Don't you agree? Does any American actually think earmarks are of any significant concern? He singles out a little that seems extravagant... a "$3 million dollar projector" (which was in fact a planetarium), whatever for the bear study, etc... but those funds are usually reasonable and they help stimulate our economy in other ways. His three big "ear mark" opponents seem to be funding arts & sciences & construction. Arts & sciences need more funding, not less, and construction stimulates the economy.
Let's not even get started on how tiny a drop in the bucket ear marks are in the big picture -- let's talk about whether or not they're wasteful to begin with.
I'm finally watching the second debate (Hulu) and McCain just mentioned the Boeing tanker deal that he
ed over... there was a $35b contract that Air Force was looking to make for tankers, McCain fought against Boeing and for Northrop so now that $35b is going to a French company instead of an American company. It hurts Boeing's bottom line so it hurts Washington's state economy -- it hurts America's economy because that $35b is American taxpayers' money that's going overseas to fund French jobs (instead of American money funding American jobs)... when you consider those American Boeing workers would be paying about 25% tax the Boeing contract would've had a much lower bottom-line cost (a fourth of the $35b going back to Uncle Sam) even when you exclude the economic stimulus of the remaining 75%. McCain fought for something that hurts Americans and America's economy and now tries to use it as a poster child for his opposition of ear marks.Anyway, that's a little off-topic because I'm bitter about McCain fighting to
over us Americans -- my point is that earmarks really aren't that big of a problem, if a problem at all. Don't you agree? Does any American actually think earmarks are of any significant concern? He singles out a little that seems extravagant... a "$3 million dollar projector" (which was in fact a planetarium), whatever for the bear study, etc... but those funds are usually reasonable and they help stimulate our economy in other ways. His three big "ear mark" opponents seem to be funding arts & sciences & construction. Arts & sciences need more funding, not less, and construction stimulates the economy.Let's not even get started on how tiny a drop in the bucket ear marks are in the big picture -- let's talk about whether or not they're wasteful to begin with.
