Congress adds billions in pork to war spending bill

[doc_bean]

While you may see it as just agriculture, these industries are controlled by only a few huge agro-corporations. Most agricultural subsidies were eliminated in the late 1990 or in Bush's first term. The ones that remain are not helping individual farmers to any great extent.

Both parties are likely to help keep these subsidies because they receive money in the form of campaign contributions to do so.

It is not helping to keep the coast of food low or increase availability, just line the pockets of those who benefit.

Rural schools ? Monsanto doesn't own those yet, I believe.

[Fisherking]

Rural schools ? Monsanto doesn't own those yet, I believe.

I think I said most of the items were junk, not all. But if it has merit it should be able to stand on its own and need not be tucked into a military spending bill. It isn't like there are no educational expenditures that it could not stand with. Besides, do you really know what it means or its details? Lots of things in these bills say something completely different than what they will actually do and all need to be read not just voted on because it has a nice title.

Too often (almost always) Congress just votes on the title and never looks any deeper. Therefore almost everything they intact is rubbish.

There is a need in all governments to pay more attention to what they are doing rather then being complacent and conducting votes because it feels good to vote for some title or other.

[TevashSzat]

Without these addendums to important spending bills or landmark laws, nothing local would get done. It takes Congress forever to get anything done due to all of the partisan feelings down in DC so bills for a congressman's local district will either never make it as a bill or get put on the agenda and get delayed for a year or two

[ShadeHonestus]

Without these addendums to important spending bills or landmark laws, nothing local would get done. It takes Congress forever to get anything done due to all of the partisan feelings down in DC so bills for a congressman's local district will either never make it as a bill or get put on the agenda and get delayed for a year or two

Well thats a bastardization of it in a way and goes to a person's view of the Feds. The government doesn't have direct authority to fund state/local programs outside the "grant" and above funding via necessary and proper, instertate commerce. In fact almost all national programs are a bastardizing of the Federal Government's role, but one we've come to accept as it gives us pork to buy votes.


Honestly, who doesn't like bacon?

[Papewaio]

$74 million for peanut storage costs;

Most be talented monkeys.

You could get some decent workers with that money.

[Xiahou]

Without these addendums to important spending bills or landmark laws, nothing local would get done.

Good. Let local government deal with local matters.

[AntiochusIII]

Will President Bush finds it in his heart to oppose pork spending bills from Congress as an upstanding supporter of Republican fiscal conservatism?

[/honest question]

[Hosakawa Tito]

Republican fiscal conservatism is non-existent in this administration.
Like all Presidents, he is concerned with his legacy now. I feel he's going to be disappointed big time in this regard.
We could use an Abraham Lincoln right about now.

[Xiahou]

Republican fiscal conservatism is non-existent in this administration.

Disappointingly, Bush has never been a fiscal conservative at any point during his time as president. The only "good" he has done fiscally was cutting taxes.

Like all Presidents, he is concerned with his legacy now. I feel he's going to be disappointed big time in this regard.
We could use an Abraham Lincoln right about now.

Legacies won't be determined anytime soon. I'm not arguing his will be great (that remains to be seen), I'm just saying that one's legacy is not determined by contemporary views. It's interesting that you bring up Lincoln, in that he too was widely disliked while in office, yet he's now considered one of our greatest presidents. I'm sure while Lincoln was still in office, people thought his legacy would be horrible.