If Congress stopped The Bridge To NoWhere and Palin kept the money, why didn't Congress

[Blue_Roses]

initiate the move to get it back?

This will be a question for doubters who think Palin was given the money. I want to know more about what she did with the fucking money!@!:argh:

[AuntPatsy]

1. A good question for real journalists to hit her with, but will she get it? Nahhh

[jljamison]

2. chill out...

people -
the federal excise tax on fuel goes into the highway trust fund. That trust fund is then allocated back to the states using a legislated formula. The money going to alaska was money alaska was entitled to.

An earmark is just a way to say "a chunk of this money will be spent in the following way" usually bought and paid for by some lobbyist which in this case would circumvent Alaska's Dept of Transportation's deliberative process they use to allocate federal highway dollars.

Maybe it isn't quite that simple, but that is my basic understanding. If anyone can enlighten me, please do.

Ask yourselves this question: given that you pay all of those gas taxes that go to the federal government, how would you feel as a resident of your state if most or all of that money went to some other state and your state got stiffed by the feds?

So Palin I don't think did anything wrong by "spending" the money that would have gone to the bridge. Alasaka needs good roads and needs to maintain its bridges and transportation infrastructure just like any other state.

But her politicking on the earmark issue is BS. She was for it before she was against it, and she did in fact seek other earmarks for other purposes.

[Arctic Dave]

3. But that doesn't answer the question.

The money was on top of the money already allocated for roads in Alaska. So where was it spent if it wasn't part of the bridge project.

[Blue_Roses]

4. you don't allocate money for a specific cause, receive it

only to have that cause killed and still keep the "allocated" funds. There's more to this.

[kennetha]

8. excellent point!

We're so busy looking for a quick take-down of Palin, we're starting to look silly and out of our depth.

[ObamanationYes1]

5. This Topic is a Bridge to Nowhere for us

I was excited about this apparent flip flop last week - but on further review I don't think it is going anywhere. Congress was very opposed to this bridge and although they did give AK a ton of money they did not earmark it for a bridge. They put it in a highway fund. AK can build or improve roads, highways, ferries or bridges with this money.

Don't look too closely - Obama and Biden both voted FOR this!

[Beaverhausen]

6. the point is she WANTED the bridge when she was running. She campaigned on it

and now she is LYING. That is the point.

[Parker CA]

7. $25 million went to build the road to the bridge to nowhere, and

the rest of it is supposedly is sitting in accounts waiting to find a project to be allocated to.

[tannybogus]

9. Looks like some people just got here with the talking points

Heather Wilson just used on MSNBC with Nora. Funny thing????

[AuntPatsy]

10. Pretty strange these days on du, many media talking points for the mcbush campaign are being used

on du...

[ObamanationYes1]

15. If you are referring to me

1 - I am in a library = NO TV = Check my IP address
2 - Don't be fooled by my Number of Posts. Maybe you missed my reintroduction to DU last week because I no longer have my home computer with my DU password
3 - I research everything I hear to make certain it is not something that will come back to bite me in the butt later. I think we have done the Obama Campaign a disservice with crap like the book banning scandal, the Bree Hodge Scandal, the she billed taxpayers a per diem, the plane on ebay-gate etc.

There are real issues here. Lets address them!

[Statistical]

11. I don't think this is a good line of attack.

I don't think this is a good line of attack.

I believe Obama and Biden both voted for the bill that authorized that earmark.
Of course so did almost all of the senate and hundreds of reps.

That won't make the media though.
If they push Palin on why didn't she return the money likely she will say something like "Why didn't congress ask for it back?".
If were so worried about it why did they vote for it?

NONE OF THIS SHIT MATTERS. OBAMA was up in the polls when the debate was on the issues. Now with all this talk about Palin, and her kids, and her husband, and her expense account, and her library, and all this BS the polls are favoring McSame.

let's get it back to the issues:
ECONOMY
JOBS
TAXES
WAR
ENERGY

[Beaverhausen]

14. Again, this is about Palin LYING about wanting the bridge

it's not about Obama and Biden. Get it?

[BlooInBloo]

12. Oh fer fuck's sake. READ people!

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/214713.php

[Redbear]

13. Apparently it was a political compromise

Congress agreed to give Alaska the money as long it wasn't for the bridge.

Nobody is claiming she stole the money and but for her claim that she is anti-pork, it wouldn't matter.

But, the fact is that she is left in the same position as the alcoholic who vehemently denies spending the bill money on wine because he actually spent it on beer.