The Coburn Amendment... aka... Who's side are they on?

Not long ago, Congress let us down by passing a gross violation of public trust in the form of a pork-laden transportation bill to an extreme seldom if ever seen before. Then Katrina came along with its massive bill for rebuilding. At that point, so many of us began calling for repeal of the recent transportation bill and all pork removal as a way to pay for Katrina. To most in the House and Senate, this fell on deaf ears. After all, politicians are politicians and its far easier to buy votes than to earn them.

However, there are some true fiscal patriots in the Senate. Both Republicans and Democrats. Senator Coburn of my home state, Oklahoma, is one of these. And last Thursday, he made me truly proud. Knowing the amendment would go down to defeat, he offered it all the same, if for no other reason than to draw a line in the sand and learn just who is on the side of the American taxpayers, and who is clearly not.

"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."

This was but one example of ridiculous pork. These are funds that should have never been taken from our pockets or allocated to a personal pet project. Now that a genuine need exists, no public servant with even an ounce of personal integrity can honestly defend such expenditures. The wretched back room deals that defeated this amendment and all suggestions for like-minded measures to date are the great, loathsome bane of our legislative process. Those who will not stand for us, the American tax-payers, do not deserve even renomination by their own parties.

What follows are the vote details and the results. I am personally ashamed that my two CURRENT Senators, Cornyn and Hutchison, are among those who voted "nay". You may look up the details on thomas.loc.gov. I encourage you to let your voice be heard. If they are going to go out shopping for votes, we can go out shopping for candidates.

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U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 109th Congress - 1st Session as compiled through Senate LIS by the Senate Bill
Clerk under the direction of the Secretary of the Senate.

Vote Summary
Question: On the Amendment (Coburn Amdt. No. 2165, As Modified )
Vote Number: 262
Vote Date: October 20, 2005, 06:03 PM
Required For Majority: 1/2
Vote Result: Amendment Rejected
Amendment Number: S.Amdt. 2165 to H.R. 3058 (Transportation, Treasury, Housing and Urban Development, the Judiciary, the District of Columbia, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 2006 )
Statement of Purpose: To make a perfecting amendment.

Vote Counts:
YEAs 15
NAYs 82
Not Voting 3