LA Times: Through Earmark, Reid May Have Boosted His Land Value
By Paul Kiel - November 13, 2006, 1:41 PM
The Los Angeles Times does their muckraking duty this morning, taking a look at the new Democratic leadership's penchant for earmarking. And what did they come up with?
[/b]Soon-to-be Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) secured millions to build a bridge near to land that he owns, likely increasing its value[/b]
Last year, Reid earmarked $18 million in federal funds for the bridge linking Nevada and Arizona by traversing the Colorado River, just a few miles from Reid's 160-acre undeveloped plot on the Arizona side of the border. According to the Times, Reid "valued the Arizona land at $500,000 to $1 million in his most recent disclosure, which reported total assets of at least $2.2 million."
Robert Bluey: How bloggers took on Harry Reid and won on earmark reform
WASHINGTON - In ways both big and small, bloggers are changing how business is done on Capitol Hill.
Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., learned firsthand last week the effect bloggers can have on public policy when he was handed the first defeat of his short tenure as majority leader.
It all started last Thursday when conservative Sen. Jim DeMint,
R-S.C., sought to strengthen the Senate's ethics reform bill by amending it to include the same earmark reform language in the House-passed version. Reid's deputy, Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., tried to kill the amendment, but nine Democrats broke ranks and backed DeMint. Instead of accepting defeat, Reid tried to twist arms and reverse the vote.
That's when bloggers took notice. Rallying to DeMint's defense, a coalition of bloggers, led by Andy Roth at the Club for Growth, documented Reid's strong-arm tactics. The Examiner's own Mark Tapscott and Ed Frank at Americans for Prosperity jumped on the story. I posted
Is anyone other than Democrat voters surprised by this?
No, I'm not. Isn't West Virginia the second home of the federal government, with all the federal projects that Byrd has gotten for his state? Guess to many hills in West Virginia or the space launch site would be there also.
I see you conveniently left out the fact that Byrd wasn't objecting to the earmark issue, but to the last minute addition by the Republicans of line item veto authority for the president to the already negotiated and agreed upon ethics reform bill. Gotta give credit to McConnell, he effectively killed the ethics reform bill without having to take the heat for voting against it.
"The two most common elements in the universe are Hydrogen and stupidity"
Searpqx From Netherlands, joined Jun 2000, 4343 posts, RR: 12 Reply 5, posted (6 years 4 months 2 days 21 hours ago) and read 647 times:
Of course Byrd is objecting, no is surprised by this. As noted, WV survives on such earmarks. My point is that prior to the last minute surprise amendment sprung by the Republicans, the ethics bill was set to pass, over and in spite of Byrd's issues. But you are trying to pin this on Byrd when the fault lies in the typical game playing that is SOP these days.
And for the record, I support a line item veto, but that was not what Reid & McConnell had agreed to and set up for passage. This latest hold up is directly the result of that and NOT of Byrd's objections.
"The two most common elements in the universe are Hydrogen and stupidity"
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