Sen. DeMint: ‘I Am a Recovering Earmarker’
- Posted on November 15, 2010 at 2:24am by
Scott Baker
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With so little self-control, Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., predicted Sunday that Congress will go cold turkey to rid itself of its reliance on the pork barrel. But any move toward austerity must be accompanied by a long-term commitment to rehabilitation, DeMint added.
“Right now we’ve got over 500 congressmen and senators who are in Washington
who think it’s their job to bring home the bacon. And that takes your eye off the ball,” DeMint, who calls himself a “recovering earmarker,“ said on ”Fox News Sunday.”“I mean, we‘re not working on important national issues when we’re trying to pave a local parking lot,” he said. “I think we’ll win the vote because I think most of the Republicans in the Senate have gotten the very clear message from the American people that we need to stop wasteful spending.”
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Comments (54)
jamesctheman
Posted on November 15, 2010 at 11:36amCan we bring in a specialist to help the rest of Congress? I mean criminals in jail get to undergo treatment for their mental & social problems so why can’t we have something for the crooks in congress. It makes perfect sense to me.
Report Post »freeus
Posted on November 15, 2010 at 11:11amIs there anyone in Congress that has not fallen victim to earmarks?
Report Post »BlazingInSC
Posted on November 15, 2010 at 11:06amA prime example of why the 17th amendment needs to be repealed. When Senators are elected by the people directly, they are held to account by the interests of the people rather than the interest of the states they represent (which is why they were originally setup to be elected by state legislatures). Jim DeMint is a good guy who is getting it. He’s not a RINO out to co-opt the TEA Party. I’ve talked to him directly, and he’s sincere in his understanding of the power of and support of the TEA Party.
Report Post »mike_trivisonno
Posted on November 15, 2010 at 11:17amIndeed. We, the States, want our Senators back!
Repeal the 17th!
Report Post »bookofwisdom
Posted on November 15, 2010 at 10:58amHe said 4 years ago he realized he had to stop the earmarks. I find that hard to believe. Sorry. May God Bless.
Report Post »zman173rd
Posted on November 15, 2010 at 10:58amI agree with Anarcho Capitalist: HE LIES. Saving his bacon is all he’s doing. I wonder why the next question wasn’t, ” Well then Mr. deMint, Are you saying then that you’ve been “Robbing the Federal Treasury” all along? That doesn’t sound like someone the voting public would want in office”…
Report Post »Too bad they don’t follow through.
EqualJustice
Posted on November 15, 2010 at 10:39amDon’t kid yourselves. The Democrats want the extra money, not out of concern for the deficit, but out of concern for their pet entitlement programs. Not one penny of extra tax dollars will be put toward the DEFICIT! What a con making the rich “evil” so they can get their money and give it away!
Report Post »EqualJustice
Posted on November 15, 2010 at 10:44amSorry, that was a reply to the Bush tax cuts discussions. :(
Report Post »This is what I meant to post! Taxpayers against Earmarks. http://endingspending.com/earmark-ban/
mjzkwz
Posted on November 15, 2010 at 9:53amSen. DeMint should be commended for his honesty and recognition of an ongoing problem with govt. Over a year ago, I believe, he proposed a moratorium on govt. spending, which of course, was turned down by the socialistic, liberal Democratic congress. We have to remember it is not too late to see the forest for the trees (before they are cut down in the name of progress.)
Report Post »BobtheMoronsp
Posted on November 15, 2010 at 9:26amScrew the earmarks. Cut the entire federal budget back to 2001 levels. Lop of everything added since then and reduced all other spending to that level. Then pass a constitutional amendment forcing a balanced budget except in times of a congressionally declared war.
Report Post »Steve Neiling
Posted on November 15, 2010 at 9:18amI sure would like to see a Bill Homogeneity Act or some such. Some form of law that would require Congress to write bills containing verbiage that pertains only to the bill itself. For instance, if it’s a transportation bill it could not include funding for the study of bullfrog feeding patterns in the greater Buffalo area. Maybe that would go a long way in curbing the earmark habit.
Report Post »BobtheMoronsp
Posted on November 15, 2010 at 9:30amThat would certainly gum up the works in Congress. They would have to find another way to waste our money on stupid stuff.
Report Post »Silat
Posted on November 15, 2010 at 8:55amMany small defense companies and researchers depend on earmarks to fund vital on time military technologies that would simply seize to exist. Earmarks are not a problem but a solution. Just stop the earmark abuse!!!!!! Ice sculptures etc.
Report Post »Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.
heavyduty
Posted on November 15, 2010 at 9:16amWell I would agree with you, except that they have shown time and time again that they can’t use it without abusing it. So its like a recovering addict, they can’t use without abuse so they just have to stay away from it. Earmarks are good in away, until the abuse starts, then they turn bad quickly. No the people are going to have to learn what’s good for the individual states is not necessarily good for the country as a whole. If a company cannot make it own by its own merits then they need to fail. Just like Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac, the government needs to get out of the private business’s.
Report Post »BobtheMoronsp
Posted on November 15, 2010 at 9:43amEarmarks are by definition an abuse of the legilative process. If something is worth funding then it will survive on its own in a separate bill.
Report Post »BubbaCoop
Posted on November 15, 2010 at 8:24amEveryone knows Jim Demint caused the recession. Alvin Greene told me so.
Report Post »VERACIOUS
Posted on November 15, 2010 at 8:13amI keep hearing how the earmarks are “such a small percentage” and “cutting them won’t really make much difference”. Well….if that’s true, then it really shouldn‘t make much difference for them to just stop attaching them to the legistlative bills they’re trying to pass. Every penny counts when you’re trying to cut back!
Report Post »GrumpyCat
Posted on November 15, 2010 at 8:07amI think its past time to end the one-man one-vote doctrine. For elections for House of Representatives, where all appropriations start, we should have one vote per dollar in paid Federal Income Tax. This way only those who are paying the bills have a say in how the funds are spent.
Imagine how much fun this would be! Bypass the middleman PAC! Buy influence directly through the IRS! Factions will fight to keep their taxes high!
Report Post »VotersOfNY
Posted on November 15, 2010 at 8:03amBills should be passewd with NO attachments of any kind. Too many times a crook, I mean, politician will vote for something just because he can get a bribe, I mean earmark, for his district. We have to do away with ALL attachments to bills. Don’t know how it ever started but it gas to end totally.
Report Post »truth4at
Posted on November 15, 2010 at 7:39amWe’ll be your accountability partner Senator!
Report Post »mike_trivisonno
Posted on November 15, 2010 at 7:24amJust more scamming from the losers in Congress. Mark my words, nothing will change. It is all a scam to take your money and enrich themselves. Watch as the corruption continues unabated.
We will see nothing substantive. The Congress is so riddled with cancer, it simply cannot be saved and it certainly cannot save itself.
The Progressive took 10 huge steps forward. Now the guys who are “on our side” offer up a few tepid proposals representing a tiny step backward. It is just not enough. But it is predictable.
Report Post »SecretPolice
Posted on November 15, 2010 at 9:34amYou sound like some Mr Know-it-all or something ” wink,wink” lol
Anywho, though this is good to hear from Jim, I must agree with you and say they “ the ones on our side ” need to take 20 steps forward to counter the 10 steps taken in the last few years by those “ not on our side”.
I think the Tea Party Patriots will insist on it and I pray we win.
Report Post »mike_trivisonno
Posted on November 15, 2010 at 11:22amIt is stressful to watch thousands of pages of legislation be forced through congress without a whimper from the “conservative” “constitutionalists”. And now a “fresh breeze” of new criminals-to-be waltzes into the halls of power and we’re to dance in the streets?
They are not serious. They will now proceed to further brutalize our nation all the while pretending to defend the Constitution and feeding us a whole new package of lies.
Where they serious, they would behave as such. They do not.
Report Post »hamrs_62
Posted on November 15, 2010 at 7:23amthats why I wouldnt vote for him, recovering means he can relapse, he is a politician
Report Post »DagneyT
Posted on November 15, 2010 at 6:29amThis reminds me of a conversation I had with my conservative congressman’s office when TARP came up, I called the office to ask of his plans to vote on it, “He is voting against it.” was the answer I got, then I asked if he’d attached any pork to it…..the response was ,”well yes, but he voting no” to which I said, “STOP WITH THE PORK!”
Report Post »jose wasabi
Posted on November 15, 2010 at 6:29amStop spending or else! Could it be any clearer?
Report Post »Conserving Ink
Posted on November 15, 2010 at 5:52amIf they can make some real progress over the next two years it will get a lot easier when the calvary arrives in 2012. If not, we’ll vote them all out.
Report Post »______________________________________________________
http://conserving-ink.blogspot.com/
critterbait
Posted on November 15, 2010 at 5:45amThis is going to be like a nat stopping a freight train going full speed,,so I hope it’s SUPERNAT..
Report Post »But with Truth you will have the Shield of God and anything can happen thats for the good,, stand your ground and use that strength…
SilentReader
Posted on November 15, 2010 at 5:40amIt’s refreshing to hear someone admit their mistakes, when most of them don’t.
Report Post »sportlock
Posted on November 15, 2010 at 3:33amI do believe the first step in recovery is admission. Now lets see how long he can go without a relapse…
Report Post »Psychosis
Posted on November 15, 2010 at 2:56amshouldn’t the state legislatures be the ones requesting funds for their state issues? why cant they vote themselves for legitimate needs, and then place a request with Washington, where a committee of congressmen and representatives hold an open vote. or better yet, let the states keep the money, instead of sending it to Washington in the first place. no more need for earmarks, and the congress can return to national interests as was intended by our founding fathers, and the constitution.
Report Post »Richio
Posted on November 15, 2010 at 6:07amWhy should states not fund their own specific needs which are unique to that state – rather than relying on the federal government to meet those needs?
Report Post »(Certainly, projects such as military bases and interstate transportation would be exceptions.)
maxedout
Posted on November 15, 2010 at 2:31amGood for him. At least he’s recovering. Now all he has to do is convince the rest to follow suit. Tough job, but hopefully the new guns in town will give him a hand….or if need be….a fist.
Report Post »snowleopard3200 {mix art}
Posted on November 15, 2010 at 3:17amI seen this interview he gave. The proof of his deeds will confirm one way or another if he indeed has changed on the earmarks. What we still need is serious reformation of the government and of the congress. Get these folks we elected to doing things the way we want, not the way they want.
Report Post »henryclay
Posted on November 15, 2010 at 3:49amSenator Inhofe from here in OK explains earmarks as mere appropriations and that eliminating them would only give more power of the money to the president. We should just quit spending. Shouldn’t demint know this……
Report Post »grandmaof5
Posted on November 15, 2010 at 6:08amBoth Republicans and Dems should have gotten the message, certainly it was loud enough. The other message they should hear loud and clear is NO on the Dream Act or any other illegal immigration reform, unless it includes returning illegals to their home country. In fact, trying to put anything through in a lame duck session will stick in the memory of the voters until 2012 and we will retaliate in the voting booth. Do you hear us now?
Report Post »Anarcho Capitalist
Posted on November 15, 2010 at 6:59amhe lies.
Report Post »Stuck_in_CA
Posted on November 15, 2010 at 7:14amI’ve had my eye on this guy for a while. He’s Reagan-esque in his demeanor AND common sense. What an asset he would be in the White House. There would be no doubt, he’d be an advocate, not apologize for America”s occasional missteps. DeMint-Bachmann 2012.
Report Post »Shurmus
Posted on November 15, 2010 at 7:42amWe like Jim…but this kind of stuff gets our slime up.
http://www.slugbuddies.com
Report Post »Rational Man
Posted on November 15, 2010 at 7:46amI’m glad to hear it!!
Report Post »Just don’t fall off the wagon, cause we got our eye on you!
Polwatcher
Posted on November 15, 2010 at 7:56amGood for Sen. DeMint. Besides his support for banning earmarks, he is the first one to publically state that our government stole all the surplus money ($2.7 Trillion) out of Social Security and now that they spent the surplus, they want to cut Social Security presumedly so that they can steal some more. Each working person has paid separately all their life into Social Security for their retirement and expects to get money for their retirement if they live long enough. The reality is that we have had thieves in charge of our money.
Report Post »independentvoteril
Posted on November 15, 2010 at 11:03amNO relapses.. NOW on with the business of the people.. ONE day at a time. .. etc..
Report Post »whamhost.info WORKS FROM HOME
Posted on November 15, 2010 at 12:25pmHow about you begin your recovery by giving up your seat to a candidate the TEA party will support. WE ARE NOT BUYING IT
Report Post »T.JeffersonWasTheBest
Posted on November 15, 2010 at 1:12pmJim Demint / Paul Ryan 2012
Report Post »