Senate Diningroom Serves Up Pulled Pork for the New Year

[sodbuster]

So here's the list of Senators and the number of earmarks I found for each in this Omnibus - so find your Senator and see what they did in this bill.

Cochran (R-MS) 230
Wicker (R-MS) 199
Murray (D-WA) 172
Harkin (D-IA) 152
Reid (D-NV) 129
Menendez (D-NJ) 123
Feinstein (D-CA) 121
Lautenberg (D-NJ) 120
Lincoln (D-AR) 114
Inouye (D-HI) 113
Schumer (D-NY) 106
Johnson (D-SD) 105
Landrieu (D-LA) 104
Specter (D-PA) 103
Pryor (D-AR) 96
Levin (D-MI) 93
Stabenow (D-MI) 91
Boxer (D-CA) 90
Brown (D-OH) 87
Grassley (R-IA) 86
Bingaman (D-NM) 86
Durbin (D-IL) 86
Akaka (D-HI) 83
Wyden (D-OR) 83
Cardin (D-MD) 79
Merkley (D-OR) 79
Gillibrand (D-NY) 79
Bond (R-MO) 78
Bennett (R-UT) 76
Casey (D-PA)   76
Udall (D-NM) 73
Reed (D-RI) 70
Kerry (D-MA) 69
Cantwell (D-WA) 69
Hagan (D-NC) 69
Voinovich (R-OH) 68
Klobuchar (D-MN) 68
Rockefeller (D-WV) 67
Dodd (D-CT) 66
Mikulski (D-MD) 65
Tester (D-MT) 65
Lieberman (ID-CT) 64
Hutchison (R-TX) 63
Baucus (D-MT) 62
Dorgan (D-ND) 60
Warner (D-VA) 60
Webb (D-VA) 58
Franken (D-MN) 58
Collins (R-ME) 57
Leahy (D-VT) 56
Murkowski (R-AK) 55
Whitehouse (D-RI) 55
Kohl (D-WI) 54
Conrad (D-ND) 52
Vitter (R-LA) 48
Cornyn (R-TX) 45
Snowe (R-ME) 44
Nelson (D-FL) 43
Chambliss (R-GA) 42
Crapo (R-ID) 41
Risch (R-ID) 41
Bennet (D-CO) 40
Brownback (R-KS) 39
Carper (D-DE) 39
Burr (R-NC) 38
Begich (D-AK) 37
McConnell (R-KY) 35
Roberts (R-KS) 35
Sanders (I-VT) 33
Shelby (R-AL) 32
Inhofe (R-OK) 32
Shaheen (D-NH) 32
Alexander (R-TN) 30
Udall (D-CO) 30
Lugar (R-IN) 29
Graham (R-SC) 27
Thune (R-SD) 26
Isakson (R-GA) 24
Nelson (D-NE) 23
Sessions (R-AL) 21
Bunning (R-KY) 21
Ensign (R-NV) 20
Gregg (R-NH) 13
Barrasso (R-WY) 4
Enzi (R-WY) 3
Hatch (R-UT) 1
Bayh (D-IN) 1
Corker (R-TN) 1
Brown (R-MA) 1
McCain (R-AZ) 0
Feingold (D-WI) 0
Kyl (R-AZ) 0
DeMint (R-SC) 0
Coburn (R-OK) 0
McCaskill (D-MO) 0
Johanns (R-NE) 0
LeMieux (R-FL) 0
Manchin (D-WV) 0
Coons (D-DE) 0
Kirk (R-IL) 0

[Patriot]

Say what one will.. I find it interesting that of the total earmarks (some 5500) democrats/independents/socialists (B. Sanders) account for some 72% and republicans 29%.  A tad disproportionate by any measure.

Affiliation                 % representation      % earmark requests
D/I                                 59%                      72%
R                                   41%                      29%

Admittedly my counts may be inaccurate by a point or two..... but gee whiz, who seems to be looser with the taxpayers money?  And given that earmarks are often considered important in the vote buying sense....  well, you figure it out.  Now, let's fire them all, scream for term limits, and repeal the 1st paragraph of the 17th Amendment to the Constitution.

[sodbuster]

I know the arguements for earmarks they are the lubricant to get things passed. They would be spent anyway they just specify the exact way money already allocated will be spent. Earmarks only account for a small portion of the budget etc.

My point is that when you owe 3 trillion on the credit card you cut out that $2.00 moring coffee and make it at home. Cutting out those 20 little 1% budget items allow you to put 20% of the budget to the debt. I am sure we have all done this during a period of unemployment. My guess is that until the debt crisis kicks us in the teeth harder than it has we will just go on blindly using the credit card. Kudo's to the Senators at the bottom of the list that got the message and didn't grab the pork.

David