[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 47 (Wednesday, March 18, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3363-S3364]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            EARMARKS DEBATE

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, for several months now we have been 
discussing earmarks or congressionally directed spending. This body has 
heard many false charges about earmarks. We have heard that earmarks 
amount to wasteful spending. We have heard that taxpayers should not 
support these projects. We have even heard that earmarks don't actually 
benefit our States.
  Fortunately, my constituents understand that the rhetoric on earmarks 
doesn't match the facts.
  Nevadans know that these projects are brought to me by their mayors, 
council members, and city managers. Nevadans know that, as their 
Senator, I understand their needs better than a faceless bureaucrat in 
Washington. And most importantly, Nevadans know how valuable earmarks 
are in a small State like ours to expand medical services, build 
infrastructure, and provide other services.
  I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the following 
editorial from Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist John L. Smith. Mr. 
Smith accurately points out the hypocrisy surrounding the earmarking 
debate and provides examples of many beneficial earmarks for Nevada.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

             [From Las Vegas Review-Journal, Mar. 18, 2009]

  John L. Smith: Let's Do Right-Wing Thing and Send That Pork Back to 
                               Washington

       Here's your chance, Nevada.

[[Page S3364]]

       This is your golden opportunity to unfurl old ``Battle 
     Born'' and wave it proudly in the Libertarian breezes.
       Come on, all you die-hard conservatives and daffy Obama 
     critics who these days find yourselves chattering endlessly 
     about the evils of pork barrel politics, ``earmarks'' and 
     government waste in general. Take time out from calling into 
     your favorite radio talk show and register your complaint.
       This is the time to demand that your local and state 
     officials return the $100 million secured by Senate Majority 
     Leader and Silver State Pork Farmer Supreme Harry Reid in the 
     recent $410 billion federal spending bill. (Meanwhile, 
     Nevada's ``hard-core conservative'' John Ensign voted against 
     the bill after putting his fingerprints on $54 million in 
     earmarks. And he didn't even blush.)
       Many conservatives have assailed the latest federal 
     shopping spree for being riddled with ``earmarks'' at a time 
     Congress had supposedly sworn off pork. You can't turn on a 
     television or open a newspaper without running into the 
     criticism.
       So here's your chance, Nevada. Demand that your community's 
     portion of the money be returned.
       If wicked old Clark County wants to keep its share of the 
     loot, that doesn't preclude the state's rural counties from 
     taking a righteous stand and marking the metaphorical 
     envelopes containing those federal handout checks ``Return to 
     Sender.'' Even if it isn't effective, just think how much 
     publicity your town will generate by tossing that federal 
     handout back into Uncle Sam's face.
       Of course, criticizing government waste is easy. Rejecting 
     it when it's your turn at the trough is more difficult. A 
     quick perusal of the particulars of Nevada's $100 million 
     proves this out.
       There's $807,500 for the Nevada Fair Housing Foreclosure 
     Effort, and another $507,000 for the Access to Healthcare 
     Network for uninsured Nevadans.
       Remember the hepatitis C scandal? There's $523,000 
     earmarked for the Southern Nevada Health District to fight 
     that battle.
       There's nearly $1 million to assist the University of 
     Nevada Health Sciences System nursing program and $856,000 
     each for the Clark County and Washoe County school districts 
     for dropout prevention.
       There's more than $800,000 for University of Nevada, Reno 
     agriculture-related programs, and another $269,000 to help 
     Carson City battle erosion that followed the 2004 Waterfall 
     Fire.
       Come on, Carson. Just say no.
       While Clark and Washoe counties receive by far the greatest 
     percentage of federal funding for public safety improvements 
     for everything from training facilities to DNA labs, the city 
     of Fernley in Lyon County is due to get $300,000 for law 
     enforcement equipment.
       While I've never thought much about the need for invasive 
     weed control, there's $235,000 for those who do at the Nevada 
     Department of Agriculture. Presumably, they'll be controlling 
     invasive weeds somewhere in the middle of Great Basin cattle 
     country.
       There's $4.78 million for the Truckee Meadows Flood Control 
     Project, another $2.5 million for Truckee Canal 
     Reconstruction. There's more than $3 million for water 
     treatment at Lake Tahoe and $18 million for ``rural Nevada 
     water infrastructure and water quality projects.''
       There's money to study wildlife habitat in central Nevada 
     lakes and to restore the Lahontan cutthroat trout population.
       Inside town limits, there's $608,000 to help Wells recover 
     from its earthquake, $150,000 to restore St. Augustine's 
     Church in Austin, $475,000 for the Virginia & Truckee 
     Railroad, $190,000 for the Amargosa Valley Community Center, 
     $300,000 for wastewater treatment in Goldfield, $1.5 million 
     for an interpretive center in Elko, $285,000 for Truckee 
     Meadows Community College low-income student recruitment, and 
     $24,000 to help poor schoolchildren in Lincoln County.
       One of my serious favorites is $381,000 for the Nevada 
     Cancer Institute to fund the Hope Coach ``mammovan,'' which 
     will provide cancer screening for women in the state's many 
     rural outposts.
       This is a great project, but then I like pork spending.
       Don't misunderstand: There's plenty to criticize about 
     earmarks and federal spending. Nevada's list of big 
     government projects made me scratch my head several times.
       And there are compelling philosophical arguments to be made 
     against wide-open government checkbooks and big deficits. 
     Frankly, I'll be happy to have that discussion--as soon as 
     lowly, care-worn Nevada finishes getting its share. Until 
     then, I'll refrain from joining the Libertarian chorus.
       That's the thing about pork.
       It's easy to turn it down until the pig is roasted and the 
     platter is passed to you.

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