From RedState.org:

[C]onservatives have a Hill to Die On - the Coburn Amendment to the Transportation, Housing, & Urban Development appropriations bill (HR 3058)
Make NO mistake - the establishment Republicans are terrified of this bill. The chutzpah of the little people demanding an end to one of the most immoral acts of Congress - earmarked pork spending - has got some in quite the tizzy.

Word is that some are trying to stop the Coburn Amendment from even reaching the floor for a vote.

This amendment will transfer funding from the wasteful pork project, the "Bridge to Nowhere" in Alaska, to the repair and reconstruction of the "Twin Spans" bridge in Louisiana. According to published reports, the Alaskan pork project costs $220 million for a 5.9-mile bridge connecting Gravina Island (population 50) to the Alaskan mainland. The cost of the bridge alone would be enough to buy every island resident his own personal Lear jet.

Sounds pretty simple, no? And simply the right thing to do. This is a no-brainer, friends. I'm with the Club For Growth, that's chosen to make this one of their very first "Key Votes" in an effort to reign in that out of control spending.

The Amendment is here [PDF]. Senator Coburn's "Dear Colleague" letter is here [PDF].

RedState and other conservatives make this a case of "reigning in spending", which in reality, it's not. It's moving the spending from one of the most egregious examples of pork spending ever to the vital reconstruction of New Orleans. The money needs to be spent, it would just be a great idea to spend the money on our nation's top priorities rather than Alaskan Republican Don Young's vanity monument to himself.

full post @ daily kos

# posted by Jon Easton : 10:59 AM  0 comments