Republican Hypocrisy Reigns Supreme

What a shock:

Dozens of senators who voted to ban the practice of earmarking nevertheless requested nearly $1 billion for pet projects in the spending bill released Tuesday.

The Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell, requested nearly $86.1 million for Kentucky, including $18 million for a railroad upgrade at Fort Knox, $1 million to build a Kentucky Blood Bank Center and $1 million for waterfront development in Paducah.

Senator Bill Nelson of Florida, one of seven Democrats who voted with Republicans to ban earmarks, had $30 million in requests, including $8 million to move the main gate of Patrick Air Force Base and $400,000 to create a research park in Sebring.

The spending bill also contained dozens of earmarks for projects in the home states of Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas, and Senator John Thune, Republican of South Dakota, who appeared at a news conference Wednesday to criticize Democrats for what they called a pork-laden spending bill.

I have nothing against earmarks. It's not the most effective way to legislate. But the universal love of earmarks demonstrates how effective government spending can be in stimulating local economies. So Republican senators have to bray about big government waste and fellate the private market while at the same time their states are dependent upon federal dollars for jobs. 

Also, my contempt for Democrats like Bill Nelson who ape the Republican line on everything has no boundaries.