VIDEO: Republicans in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday adopted a voluntary ban on the congressional pet projects known as earmarks, and the chamber’s Democratic leader said he would allow a vote on a binding moratorium. Republicans in both the Senate and the House of Representatives have now forsworn earmarks as they eye large spending cuts in the coming year, when they will control the House and wield greater influence in the Senate.
Though earmarks account for less than one half of a percent of the federal budget, they have become a symbol of wasteful spending for many grassroots Tea Party activists who helped Republicans win big in the Nov. 2 elections.
“I think it shows that this conference is serious about doing what it said we were going to be about — limited government, spending reduction, dealing with the national debt,” said newly elected Republican Senator Marco Rubio.
Senate Majority Harry Reid said he would allow a vote on a binding, two-year ban that would apply to everyone in the Senate, though only two of the chamber’s 59 Democrats have said they support the measure.
“I would be happy to work, to set up a reasonable time to have a debate on that and have a vote on it,” Reid told a news conference.
Earmarks, which have accounted for roughly $16 billion of the $3.5 trillion federal budget in recent years, have been a popular way for lawmakers to steer federal dollars back to their home districts and states. Full story in Reuters.
And how exactly will Lakewood lose out? What handout are being expected?
time has come for this mismangement to end no matter how small, this country is going bankrupt and every means to reverse that trend is essential to avoid financial collapse . Its a sad statement when we consider BILLIONS a “small” amouunt ,just shows you how in debt we are .When I hear how some of this money is sqaundered it show the stupidity of those who ar supposed to be working for the best interest of the people of this nation .
Now we’ll see how the robot Rush Limbaugh chasidim all over Lakewood and the frum world start squirming when they see which expenses are actually cut!
I’m all for these cuts, but I don’t think most people in our community thinkt much about it when they quote their favorite conservatives robotically. They may think twice when they see what it means “Lemaaseh”
Hey, I’m a Lakewooder.
When I saw your headline, “Lakewood to lose out”, it bothered me very much. What does that mean? We’ve become a society that expects and demands handouts from other people’s money!
What does this say about us as a community? We’re “losing” out on other people’s money?
Another point:
The Bush tax cuts are expiring this December 31, unless Congress votes to extend them. Every one of us will lose out when these tax cuts expire. Even a kollel yungerman will lose out – the additional child tax credit, and lots more. Every kollel yungerman’s shver will lose out, which means less money in the mishpacha etc. Every kollel yungerman’s wife will have more money withheld every week from her check, which means less money for the kollel family.
Why do the Democrats hate tax cuts so much? Why do they want to take away more and more from a kollel yungerman’s family? Simple! So that he can take your money and spend it on these “earmarks” and other bribes to poor communities such as Lakewood.
I ask every one of you, what would be a better society? Would you rather have the government taxing you at every turn, more and more taxes coming out of your meager paychecks, more sales taxes, more propeerty taxes, and then giving you back grants and earmarks and benefits?
Or would you rather have NO EARMARKS, NO RUNAWAY DEFICITS, NO OUTLANDISH BENEFITS to shnorers, while at the same time taxing us less and less, and staying out of our business, and letting us make as much money as we need without getting in the way and taking away all our hard earned money, and finally, letting us spend the money on things that we want, (instead of taking it away from us and spending it on things that the govornment thinks are important)
A society that continues to tax its hard working citizens to pay for unsustainable benefits to those that dont work, will not last. Check out Greece and Ireland and California. These freebies will stop or our entire country will go bankrupt.
So yes, Lakewood will lose out on some earmarks. In the long run, Lakewood will win big time by cutting these unsustainable deficit busting, bankrupt inducing, everlasting poverty creating, tax and spend policies of the Democrats.
The game will have to stop at some point. The earlier the better.
to Anonymous says:
I agree with everything you say here except for one statement
” poor communities such as Lakewood”.
The average income in Lakewood is more than $45,000.00 that by no means qualify as being poor ,yes in todays world its not a lot of money ~ but poor is a misstatement
In the old days, we always wanted more and more from the township. We wanted more grants for every organization, more free property for every shul. Why not??? Let everyone else pay for it!!
Then we realized that WE are the ones paying for it through higher and higher property taxes. So we said ENOUGH!!! Enough higher taxes, stop the spending, even if it means that Lakewood township will give out less money to organizations.
The same thing is happening now in Lakewood, and all across the country when it comes to Federal Government spending. For fifty years we all said, “let’s see how much money we can get out of the federal government for organizations and other earmarks.”
Now we realized that we are paying for it through higher taxes, and through the Fed buying treasuries which will lead to hyper-inflation higher gas prices and higher food prices. So we are saying ENOUGH!!! Even if it means some organizations will lose out on their freebies.
Do you know that Obama’s debt reducing commission announced today that we should have a national 6% sales tax to pay for the federal deficit????
So do we really need these earmarks? Is it so important to keep federal spending so high that now every kollel family will pay for it through a national sales tax of 6% (plus the state 7% sales tax)???
Wake up!!!
Mr old timer. We know that the cuts will hurt. Read above. It’s necessary fo the survival of this nation.
At least Limbaugh chasidim articulate their arguments very clearly. They make sense.
Again, of course the cuts will hurt. But they are necessary.
When your shver gets fired from his job, do you continue to spend money because you don’t want to cut out all those luxuries you were used to? Do you just blame your shver for how terrible he is for not continuing to give you money for all those necessary expenses that you were used to?
Of course not!
You realize that the free ride has come to an end, that your shver will stop giving you the money, and that you will cut your expenses.
The federal government is bankrupt. Stop complaining. We need the cuts if we are to survive as a nation. We will all suffer a little, but at least we won’t drive the country to total collapse like Greece and Ireland.
TO old timer 2,
I’m not complaining at all. I agree with you. It’s time to pay the piper. But that’s because I’m an old timer!
Of course the Limbaugh chasidim articulate their arguments very clearly. They just say what Limbaugh says, word for word, without any thought involved! That’s why I called them robots.
There is no free lunch!
in fact there will be no lunch at all if we don’t stop this insane spending, one thing our federal government has forgotten is “you can’t spend your way out of debt”
its like paying one credit card bill with another one
It’s interesting that you say they quote Limbaugh word for word,
Really, who cares? If Limbaugh is saying the truth, and he says things very clearly, let everyone quote him word for word.
Are the people who quote R’ Chaim Halevi word for word also robots? Now I know that you will jump on me for comparing apples to oranges, and I don’t mean to compare Rush to R’ Chaim, but the point is that there is nothing robotic in quoting someone who makes sense and speaks the truth and is clearly understood. (You yourself sound like you agree with the ideas of Rush)
But that’s besides the point. I don’t know how you get that Limbaugh chasidim quote him word for word like robots. All conservatives that I know speak in their own words about the very real fear that this country is becoming like Greece and Ireland, (and possibly worse…)
By the way, I know alot of anti-semites who say that all pro-Israel are just robots of AIPAC and the evil Zionists.
45,000 dollars is poor not enough money to sustain a family in NJ according to a study that Rutgers Univ. did about 3 or so years ago. They said a single person be it a woman or man needs to make 52,000 dollar a year to live comfortabley. This entailed renting a average apartment, owning an average car, paying the average insurance rate for nj, and utilities, so on. They were talking about owning a home, driving a bmw, and renting a loft in Hoboken.
It’s interesting that you say Rush speaks the truth. and that he does so very clearly.
What is clear is that Rush only perpetuates distortions of the truth and lies every so often. He is far from clear in his ramblings, that you so candidly take for scripture. He presents phony science, unrealistic economics, race bait, incendiary rhetoric, among other things on a daily basis, but he never presents the truth.
As, for the upcoming expiring tax cuts. There was a reason they were designed to end when they are. Permanent tax cuts of this nature will do little over the next year or two in terms of spurring economic growth, this is a fact. Looking at the larger picture renewing the cuts for the top 2% would add about $700 billion to our 10 year deficit while doing nothing in terms of job creation or economic growth.
It doesn’t matter whom you’re quoting. I’m just saying that when you quote without thinking, you’re just following and you don’t know what you’re talking about. When people start quoting Rush and actually use his phrases, it makes me laugh. I am politically conservative, but I’m not always with Rush. I think about each issue. For instance, how in the world have frum people become pro gun?! Only by listening to conservative radio personalities and robotically quoting. These are the people who rightfully advocate cuts in spending, but then scream bloody murder when their favorite program is cut.
Whats wrong with being pro gun, ???
Its one of our freedoms as long as you are not a criminal!!
I understand that many people think that guns are one of our freedoms, but I disagree that everyone should be allowed to have guns. I do not want my neighbor to have a gun even though he isn’t a criminal. Guns maim and hurt people and therefore should be strictly controlled. Yes, yes I know that only the good people will obey and the criminals will still have guns, but I still think that it’s dangerous for anyone except law enforcement to have guns. To me it’s just amazing that the frum world has become as anti gun control as some “bubba” redneck driving a pickup truck down south. To me this comes from mindlessly following every conservative talk show host without thinking through the issues.
cut the earmards and cut the charge cards and cars we give them,let them buy their own and see how much things cost, when they get money to build a road to nowhere, it has to stop an a airport that no one uses
TO hello says:
AMEN !!!!!!
my last comment was posted two days ago and still wawaiting moderation? seems like only things you agree with get posted in a timely fashion , nothing said in that posting is incorrect or offensive so what gives??