82 Disgraceful Senators

Sen Tom Coburn (R-OK) included an amendment to a spending bill that would have redirected funding from some very expensive pork barrel projects. The money would be used in the New Orleans area instead, specifically to repair a major bridge that was damaged in New Orleans. It was voted down in an 82-15 vote. 82 disgraceful Senators would prefer to maintain their status quo on pork barreling then to have the money used where it is needed. One blogger noted that, "Using 2005 numbers, by voting down the 'Bridges' amendment, the Senate let the country know that it was unwilling to defund 2 out of 13,997 pork projects today. That’s 0.0142887762 percent."

It is not red state vs blue state, liberal vs conservative, Dem vs Repub. Instead, it is us, the citizens, against the likes of imperial, arrogant Senators & Congressmen who don't give a damn what's best for this country, but what's best for themselves & what they can take from taxpayers, for wasteful means, to garner themselves votes in re-elections, pay back cronies in their home states & further corrupt American politics. They should be horsewhipped.

These are the 15 Senators who had the courage to go against the "scratch my back" mentality in the Senate. We applaud them: Allard (R-CO), Allen (R-VA), Bayh (D-IN), Burr (R-NC), Coburn (R-OK), Conrad (D-ND), DeMint (R-SC), DeWine (R-OH), Feingold (D-WI), Graham (R-SC), Kyl (R-AZ), Landrieu (D-LA), Sessions (R-AL)Sununu (R-NH), Vitter (R-LA).

Here is a press release from Sen. Coburn's office regarding his amendment. It is worth reading:

Senate Votes to Protect Funding for Alaska Bridges; Opposes Diverting Funds to Repair Bridge in New Orleans

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – The U.S. Senate tonight defeated an amendment by Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-OK) by a vote of 15 to 82 that would have blocked funding for two extravagant projects in Alaska and directed $125 million from those projects to the repair of the Twin Spans Bridge over Lake Pontachartrain which was damaged by Hurricane Katrina. The Coburn amendment was offered to H.R. 3058, the Transportation, Treasury, HUD, Judiciary and District of Columbia Appropriations Act.

“The American people expect their elected officials to make sacrifices in a time of war, rising deficits, and disaster recovery. Unfortunately, many members of Congress are more committed to protecting a system that allows them to fund extravagant projects at the expense of the common good. Our refusal to prioritize spending and exercise restraint has created a rumble among the American people. Tonight’s vote will only cause that rumble to grow,” Dr. Coburn said.

The Coburn amendment would have blocked funding for a $223 million bridge to a town in Alaska with a population of 50 people. At $4.46 million per person, the cost of the bridge alone would be enough to buy every island resident their own personal Lear jet. The Coburn amendment also would have blocked funding for a $229 million bridge that would connect Anchorage, Alaska to hundreds of square miles of unpopulated wetlands.

The Coburn amendment would have then diverted $125 million in savings from those projects to repair the Interstate 10 Twin Spans Bridge in Louisiana, a 5.4 mile stretch of I-10 over Lake Pontchartrain which connects New Orleans with the city of Slidell. The Twin Spans serve as a major route into New Orleans for interstate commerce and working commuters.

Dr. Coburn offered another amendment to block funding for three special projects; $200,000 for an animal facility in Westerly, Rhode Island; $500,000 for a sculpture park in Seattle; and $950,000 for a parking facility for a private museum in Omaha, Nebraska. The Senate voted to table, or kill, the amendment by a vote of 13 to 86.