Will Joe Scarborough and David Petraeus Run for President in 2012?

[Insanity]

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Just saying...

 

[Galteeth]

A lot has happened since the 2008 elections. The Democrats are like spoiled children - I want, give me, I need - if you don't agree you're a racist.

The candidate that runs on change and transparency, no earmarks or special interests allowed, line by line review of ALL spending, fiscal responsibility, support of the "good war" in Afghanistan, and smart diplomacy - needs to practice what he preaches. The first step might be to get out of "campaign mode" - 112 interviews as of Monday and a full hour on Letterman is a bit much.

I think people are really confused about the earmarking issue. Earmarks are specific directions with regards to spending. The alternative is giving the executive broad leverage on how to spend the money allocated in a bill.

From wikipedia:

The federal Office of Management and Budget defines earmarks as funds provided by Congress for projects or programs where the congressional direction (in bill or report language) circumvents Executive Branch merit-based or competitive allocation processes, or specifies the location or recipient, or otherwise curtails the ability of the Executive Branch to manage critical aspects of the funds allocation process.

Attempts have been made to define earmarks in ethics and budget reform legislation. However, due to the controversial nature of earmarks and the effects these definitions would have on Congressional power, none of these has been widely accepted.

Despite the lack of a consensus definition, the one used most widely was developed by the Congressional Research Service, the public policy research arm of the U.S. Congress:

"Provisions associated with legislation (appropriations or general legislation) that specify certain congressional spending priorities or in revenue bills that apply to a very limited number of individuals or entities. Earmarks may appear in either the legislative text or report language (committee reports accompanying reported bills and joint explanatory statement accompanying a conference report)."[2]