McClatchy DC Logo

Commentary: D.C. politicians love their pork | McClatchy Washington Bureau

×
    • Customer Service
    • Mobile & Apps
    • Contact Us
    • Newsletters
    • Subscriber Services

    • All White House
    • Russia
    • All Congress
    • Budget
    • All Justice
    • Supreme Court
    • DOJ
    • Criminal Justice
    • All Elections
    • Campaigns
    • Midterms
    • The Influencer Series
    • All Policy
    • National Security
    • Guantanamo
    • Environment
    • Climate
    • Energy
    • Water Rights
    • Guns
    • Poverty
    • Health Care
    • Immigration
    • Trade
    • Civil Rights
    • Agriculture
    • Technology
    • Cybersecurity
    • All Nation & World
    • National
    • Regional
    • The East
    • The West
    • The Midwest
    • The South
    • World
    • Diplomacy
    • Latin America
    • Investigations
  • Podcasts
    • All Opinion
    • Political Cartoons

  • Our Newsrooms

Opinion

Commentary: D.C. politicians love their pork

The Kansas City Star

    ORDER REPRINT →

December 17, 2010 12:54 PM

Just last month, voters supposedly sent a very clear message to Washington: Stop the bailouts, stop the earmarks and stop the wasteful spending.

But in recent days President Barack Obama and members of Congress have sent their own message to the American people: We can’t stop ourselves!

And so proposals to continue the spending have proliferated on both sides of the aisle.

Squander $140 billion to unnecessarily extend the Bush tax cuts for the richest 2 percent of Americans.

SIGN UP

Hand out a long list of special tax credits and tax breaks, including more costly subsidies for the ethanol industry.

And stuff earmarks worth billions of dollars for special-interest programs into a Senate bill.

Then something strange — and positive — occurred suddenly on Thursday night.

Democratic Senate leaders discovered they didn’t have the votes to pass the huge, earmark-stuffed spending measure.

To read the complete editorial, visit www.kansascity.com.

  Comments  

Videos

“It’s not mine,” Pompeo says of New York Times op-ed

Trump and Putin shake hands at G20 Summit

View More Video

Trending Stories

Cell signal puts Cohen outside Prague around time of purported Russian meeting

December 27, 2018 10:36 AM

Ted Cruz’s anti-Obamacare crusade continues with few allies

December 24, 2018 10:33 AM

With no agreement on wall, partial federal shutdown likely to continue until 2019

December 21, 2018 03:02 PM

Sources: Mueller has evidence Cohen was in Prague in 2016, confirming part of dossier

April 13, 2018 06:08 PM

California Republicans fear even bigger trouble ahead for their wounded party

December 27, 2018 09:37 AM

Read Next

This is not what Vladimir Putin wanted for Christmas

Opinion

This is not what Vladimir Putin wanted for Christmas

By Markos Kounalakis

    ORDER REPRINT →

December 20, 2018 05:12 PM

Orthodox Christian religious leaders worldwide are weakening an important institution that gave the Russian president outsize power and legitimacy.

KEEP READING

MORE OPINION

The solution to the juvenile delinquency problem in our nation’s politics

Opinion

The solution to the juvenile delinquency problem in our nation’s politics

December 18, 2018 06:00 AM
High-flying U.S. car execs often crash when when they run into foreign laws

Opinion

High-flying U.S. car execs often crash when when they run into foreign laws

December 13, 2018 06:09 PM
Putin wants to divide the West. Can Trump thwart his plan?

Opinion

Putin wants to divide the West. Can Trump thwart his plan?

December 11, 2018 06:00 AM
George H.W. Bush, Pearl Harbor and America’s other fallen

Opinion

George H.W. Bush, Pearl Harbor and America’s other fallen

December 07, 2018 03:42 AM
George H.W. Bush’s secret legacy: his little-known kind gestures to many

Opinion

George H.W. Bush’s secret legacy: his little-known kind gestures to many

December 04, 2018 06:00 AM
Nicaragua’s ‘House of Cards’ stars another corrupt and powerful couple

Opinion

Nicaragua’s ‘House of Cards’ stars another corrupt and powerful couple

November 29, 2018 07:50 PM
Take Us With You

Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand.

Icon for mobile apps

McClatchy Washington Bureau App

View Newsletters

Subscriptions
  • Newsletters
Learn More
  • Customer Service
  • Securely Share News Tips
  • Contact Us
Advertising
  • Advertise With Us
Copyright
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service


Back to Story