Imagine they're no earmarks.
Imagine if Foster, instead of releasing this Press Release on Fermi Lab's budget cut, had instead said, noting this quote below from Fermi Lab's Odden,
In addition, Oddone said, he would have to lay off up to 300 employees permanently and possibly shut down the main Tevatron accelerator, sending home the entire laboratory staff, for up to six weeks. Such an interruption could thwart Fermilab's hopes to detect the Higgs boson, a key constituent of the universe that the facility is racing to discover before scientists in Europe do.And then just said, maybe the United States should let the Europeans win this race for the Higgs boson, and just buy the Science from them, after they finish (and pay for) the race alone.
Then imagine if Foster had instead signed on here with Coburn and DeMint; per Novak's NewsLetter today,
However, conservative Republican leaders -- led by Senators Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) and Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) -- would have preferred a continuing resolution (CR) that did not contain any new earmarks. But the Senate appropriators -- led by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) with lots of earmarks for his re-election campaign -- insisted on an omnibus bill that would include 12,000 new earmarks. The reformers, getting no support from the White House, feel the GOP has missed a golden opportunity to re-brand itself as the party of fiscal integrity.It would have been bickering of course, and alliance with fellows Foster may find distasteful. But it would have been a fight for badly needed earmark-reform and a snub at Bush too boot.
Why can't Foster get that Scientific mind to think outside the box a bit?
14 comments:
I read Bill Foster's Press Release and it was right on target addressing the current issue and the larger issue of science policy in this country.
I didn't get your post which was highly political and off topic. Of course, earmarks are an issue - for democrats and republicans alike. Of course, the war is an issue.
I was pleasantly surprised that Bill Foster made some real comments on topic.
...well, it is a political blog...
Look at Foster's contributers and count the number of scientists.
If he retired from a sewer inpecting company, and all of the contributers were sewer workers, and he was complaining about Federal Funds for sewer inspections, everyone would say he's in the sewer-inspectors-industry pocket.
But turn the dollars into billions, and label it high science, and it's a noble pursuit.
Fermi not all that popular in Kane. My community mobilized years ago opposing Hastert and the semi collider that would have drilled through our aquafir. They turned into a machine of sorts in Campton Township for years after.
Foster blew a chance to come out as a reformer because he thinks people in Kane will see this as pork.
Give us bridges instead and it might work. Fermi lab won't.
...see it as pork for the 14th of course, which is good...
...except I doubt few Kane voters will feel that way about it.
West of Kane, not at all...
Interesting that you would cite Coburn on earmarks.
Do you recall who co-sponsored Coburn's earmark bill?
Maybe we just should have let the Soviet Union win the space race too?
Really, your dislike of Fermi is not widely shared in Kane County. Maybe some folks in Batavia, but none that I met when I lived there. What Campton Township 'machine' are you talking about?
And you're out of touch if you don't think bridges have been controversial in Kane County.
Do you recall who co-sponsored Coburn's earmark bill?
I do. I bet Lauzen does. I bet Foster not. So who's the progressive in the race?
Maybe we just should have let the Soviet Union win the space race too?
hmmm...my Taft Republican Grandfahter felt the Russians should have had the moon, and the Red Chinese, Vietnam. The US had no business with either.
What Campton Township 'machine' are you talking about?
Visit the renovated Township hall and look at the names.
And you're out of touch if you don't think bridges have been controversial in Kane County.
Count the Dem Voters in Wayne and the Dem voters west of the river in South Elgin.
...your dislike of Fermi...
Remember Glenview Naval Airstation was the only station on the BRAC list were the community (and developers) welcomed closure.
I suspect a lot of people in DuPage and Kane would be just fine with Fermi gone. They'll be plenty of fighting over what would become of it, but the notion it's a local pork project that sways votes doesn't ring with me.
Foster would have done much better staking out turf as a budget reformer here.
I note that your post did not Name That Co-Sponsor.
Frankly, I don't have a clue what you were trying to say with the rest of your post.
Bill, Who Was That Co-Sponsor?
Who did Sen. Coburn work with to limit secret earmarks?
Just waiting to see if any of the Fosterites watch Oprah Skeeter...
Why didn't you mention the name of that co-sponsor?
When you leave out info like that, it really takes away any credibility you might have.
It might make that Senator look like a moderate who can work well with extremists across the aisle. The two senators see eye to eye on almost nothing, but were able to work together when they thought that it was for the good of all of us.
It is a great story, but one that, for blatantly political reasons, you ignored.
I spent about an hour yesterday trying to navigate the supposed earmark finder system.
Either it does not work very well on purpose, or it does not work very well by design. You can find earmarks by Senator, but by no means is it easy to use.
Perhaps Senator Obama is responsible for such system. Now if it actually worked.
JBP
JB,
But it sure beats the heck out of what we had before, doesn't it?
Also, do you know any other Senator who would reach across the aisle like that?
Sen. Coburn and Sen. Obama see eye to eye on next to nothing, but they were able to work together on this. I don't have much use for Sen. Coburn, but I give him a ton of credit for his budget efforts. For Sen. Obama, it is more of the same. He always was pretty good at working across the aisle. He's a uniter, not a divider.
Also, do you know any other Senator who would reach across the aisle like that?
Yes, John McCain
Compare how McCain stood up against his party on immigration vs Obama.
Recall Lindsey Graham,
MY GOOD FRIEND FROM ILLINOIS SAYS THAT TO THOSE
WHO HAVE WORKED SO HARD TO GET THIS BILL TO THE POINT THAT IT'S
AT, NOTHING PERSONAL, BUT I CAN'T LIVE WITH THIS PROVISION. YOU
KNOW, BIPARTISANSHIP IS MUSIC TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE'S EARS.
WHEN YOU'RE OUT THERE ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL, YOU'RE TRYING TO
PWR EU US ALL TOGETHER. YOU'RE TRYING TO MAKE AMERICA BETTER.
WHY CAN'T WE WORK TOGETHER?
Foster's no Obama...
...Obama's no McCain.
And you are neither, which is ironic for the post.
Your failure to mention Sen. Obama while mentioning Sen. Coburn is pure cheap politics.
You sure like to talk about standing up to the party, but you personally can't do it.
I have to say that this entire thread strongly points in the direction of Baar as Partisan Hack. He can talk about political independence, but it does not apply to him.
Skeeter,
Obama is one of the most partisan members of the Senate. His voting record is atrocious on bi-partisan issues.
Publishing earmarks is a worthwhile endeavor, and a small round of applause should be afforded to the audacious Senator (even by the Illinois Policy Institute, no fans of Obama's Leftism).
Regardless of this, Obama continues to be one of the pork leaders of the Senate, even pressing for the Bridge to Nowhere (in exchange for the 355 extension).
I think Obama is confident that the Media is not going to call him on his pork-barrelling, nor his long standing partnership with criminals like Rezko. The media would rather write about his lack of necktie or other useless information.
JBP
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