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January 28, 2010
On Tuesday of this week the Senate voted on President Obama’s plan to create a bipartisan commission to tackle the budget. Unfortunately for Obama and the rest of the nation our do-nothing Senate decided once again to do nothing. The plan was voted down. Only 53 of the 100 members voted for it — 60 are required. This means 47 either voted for it or didn’t vote at all. Who are they?
As it turns out only one didn’t vote — Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. No word yet as to why. That leaves 46 that voted against it — 22 Democrats, 23 Republicans and 1 Independent.
The bill was really an amendment attached to H. J. Res. 45: Increasing the statutory limit on the public debt, which is something that took place 5 times during the Bush II administration, resulting each time in every Republican voted for the increase. With them being for increasing the limit those 5 times, certainly the no-votes this time couldn’t possibly have been because we now have a Democrat President in office; that would be political hypocrisy, and we know that never happens. Therefore, the no-votes must have been because they don’t want a commission tackling the budget. Or maybe the no-vote was due to another attached amendment — one to commend the University of Alabama Crimson Tide for being unanimously declared the 2009 NCAA football bowl subdivision national champions. Ok, so I’m being a little sarcastic. But seriously, there could be another “valid” reason.
Included in the 2009 budget was $19.6 billion worth of personal Congressional “projects”. The 2009 “Pig Book” says there were $4.2 billion of “the most egregious and blatant examples of pork”. With the exception of Senator John McCain and a few others, every member of the Senate participated in feeding at the taxpayer hog trough. We don’t really know all their names or how much each one got as there was $7.8 billion worth submitted by 221 “anonymous” members. I guess they were just too embarrassed to attach their names. But most of the names we do know. And while the Democrats are just as guilty as the Republicans, the top three names on the list were Republicans — Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., with $892 million; Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska with $469 million (retired Jan 2009, but after 2009 budget was set); and Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., with $465 million. Of the two remaining in the Senate, Cochran and Shelby, both voted against the bill.
If Obama gets his fiscal task force, no doubt one of the many things they’ll be looking at is pork and unnecessary spending by Congress. This will greatly hinder their two objectives: the ability to ensure reelection, which leads to the second reason, fattening their personal fortune. Without that, why even bother being in Congress?
To see which way your Senator voted, you can go here.
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