Ten Good Reasons to Oppose the Omnibus Spending Bill

The ink is barely dry on the almost $1 trillion stimulus package passed by the Democratic-controlled Congress and signed by President Obama. Unfortunately, this fact hasn’t stopped Democrats in Congress from attempting to push through an additional almost half a trillion dollar omnibus spending bill this week.

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President Obama should be applauded for bringing attention to the need to reign in our spiraling federal budget deficit and the accompanying crippling national debt. Unfortunately, while President Obama talks the talk on deficit reduction, Democrats in Congress seem unable to walk the walk. Indeed, they aren’t even trying.

The omnibus spending bill being considered by the House and Senate is a shameful continuation of politics as usual in Washington. Campaign season is over, it’s time for results. Instead of simply talking about the need to balance the federal budget and eliminate wasteful and unnecessary spending, it’s time to actually deliver.

Families all across the country are being forced to tighten their belts and make the tough decisions and its time Washington followed the lead of the American people. With 9,000 earmarks included in the omnibus spending bill, there are at least 9,000 reasons to vote against it.

While no one will mistake me for David Letterman, I have compiled a best of the worst – the top 10 reasons for members of both political parties to vote against the bill.

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  1. Welcome Back Carter. Total spending in Omnibus $410 billion an increase of 8% ($32 billion) over FY 2008 levels. Largest increase in annual discretionary spending since the Carter administration
  2. Can you say Double-dip? Omnibus contains spending for many of the same agencies and programs that received funds in the stimulus bill. Double-dipped programs are now receiving an 80% increase in spending over FY 2008.
  3. Is this Change we can Believe in? A total of almost 9,000 earmarks in the Omnibus.
  4. I thought Pelosi Said She Was ‘Draining the Swamp’?!?! Millions of dollars for the clients of the disgraced PMA lobbying firm that was just raided by the FBI.
  5. A Legend in their Own Minds. Money to memorialize politicians currently serving. $5.4 million for the Iowa Department of Education Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) grant program and $5.8 million for the Senator Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the Senate in Boston, MA
  6. Go Fish! $65 million for salmon. $59 million for Pacific salmon and $6 million for Atlantic salmon.
  7. How do you say pork in Spanish? $476,000 for the National Council of La Raza in Washington, DC.
  8. To the Moon Alice! $7 million for NASA for science museums and another $7 million for a NASA visitors center.
  9. Does as I Say Don’t Do as I Do. Millions of dollars for increased staffing in the House and Senate while businesses all across the country are forced to lay off workers.
  10. When Losing isn’t losing at all! Millions of dollars in earmarks for former members of Congress. Lose Your Election – But Keep Your Earmarks.
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President Obama and Congressional Democrats came to power promising to change the way Washington does business. This omnibus spending bill will be a good test of how interested they are in turning campaign rhetoric into fiscal reality.

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