Most other lobbyists would give up their second lung to get that kind of access. It's not always illegal, but it's definitely a strategy of influence that's unparalleled.
I have better things to do than hunting around for where the money is hidden, ... We would rather the government be doing this, creating a one-stop shop. Is that really too much to ask
This shows the best government contractors don't always get hired, the most politically influential do. We need to strive for more competitive bidding.
The secrecy is awful. We've created a system where we choose how government spends money based on the strength of your politician and not the need of your district.
You know how they call Vancouver 'North Hollywood' Well, Alaska could become 'North North Hollywood,'
I don't know how people wouldn't feel uncomfortable with the idea that money is being wasted there and it's not being used for the war on terror and protecting the homeland.
He's basically judge, jury and executioner for all this money.
We've been in budgetary La-La Land.
If you're a lobbyist, you've got the Washington version of the scarlet letter tattooed on your back right now.
Transparency is the best disinfectant. If they would disclose everything and give the public time to review it, that would change the discourse dramatically.
They're not really sure if they're going to get anything that actually will work in a real-time effort like Iraq. It's frustrating in that most taxpayers are going to say we need to keep our troops safe.
We've known for years that there are some easy things on paper. But it's politically hard to limit the budgetary footprint of the federal government. Any item you try and cut, you're going to tick off an 800-pound gorilla that fights with a sledgehammer.
I give him a C-minus. It's better than we've had, but we've got a long way to go to get this federal fiscal house in order. ... I would give him a much higher grade if he had vetoed just one (spending) bill.
There's definitely a need to get the money on the ground fast. But I don't think any of these proposals would do that. What I see them doing is lessening the transparency. It's the opposite of the way we should be going. We need to know more so we can know if all this money is being spent in a wise and responsible manner.
There's a lot of money in this bill, but bar none we consider the documentary the most egregious provision because it has absolutely nothing to do with alleviating the traffic problems in this nation.
This bill will be known as the most earmarked transportation bill in the history of our nation.
They're a little late to the parade, but I still think it's an important step to make sure this whole sort of embarrassing era has ended.
Pigs will fly before we cut this pork. I don't know how we'll make this happen.
The fact is, there are not the checks and balances to make sure the money is spent well.
If they're telling everybody to tighten their belts and they're leasing these luxury cars, it just doesn't fly in Peoria.
It's a real question of who's minding the store. It creates doubt in the investments we're making.
Those 2,966 earmarks are a symptom of a disease that is preventing our troops from getting the tools they need.
Those 2,966 earmarks are a symptom of a disease that is preventing our troops from getting the tools they need to prosecute the war on terror.
It's hard to turn around a train in Washington, and they deserve credit.
This is absolute highway robbery and it really does show that the agency doesn't have a clue in getting real value of contracts. I've done the math in my head 100 times and I don't know how they computed this cost.
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