And how much of the fat he is thinking about is embedded in the Pentagon budget (which I assume he loves him some big ticket weapons systems that were borderline useful during the Cold War and totally useless in small scale conflicts)?

If Hoffman loses, will he also swear off earmarks — for companies whose board he sits on? Because he’s got them in the past:

WASHINGTON — The hospital where Douglas L. Hoffman serves on the finance committee sought and received a federal earmark — a practice he has opposed in his congressional campaign — to build a new primary health clinic.

Mr. Hoffman, the conservative candidate to replace Rep. John M. McHugh in Congress, was an ex-officio member of the finance committee at Adirondack Medical Center when the hospital asked Mr. McHugh to help find sources of federal money to build the facility two years ago.

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More specifically, however, the hospital received $479,000. Mr. McHugh requested the money, along with then-Rep. Kirsten E. Gillibrand and Sens. Charles E. Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton, Democrats of New York.

As is typical in the earmarks process, the hospital asked for more than that amount, Mr. Riccio said, although he could not say how much hospital officials sought.

I would cut spending on 2 wars? I would cut bonuses for every company bailed out by the government I would reduce CEO Pay at every compan y bailed out by the government to half what Toyota’s CEO makes.
Does the GOP really want me to go on? Lets cut Star Wars completely! Military spending well since we can’t beat Afghanistan with expensive smart bombs lets cut them too.

I would cut the pork and wasteful earmarks.

I would insist the banks pay us back with interest!

And since pilotless drones are used to commit war crimes in nations we are not at war with, cut them too.

Bush bailed out the Air lines now Airline pilots make less than Taco Bell Managers but WHERE is our money plus interest!

These “fiscally responsible” Republicans scary me to death. In California we have found out what one of them can do and we are in shambles. The latest is that Arnold is going to withhold 10% of the state employees pay to be given back to them “at a later date.” Riiiiiiiight.

I was attending college in Washington DC when Ronald Reagan took over. By the time summer rolled around, it was pretty obvious even to a college junior like myself that all of Reagan’s talk about cutting the deficit was just so much hot air. Republicans don’t have a problem with deficit spending, they just have a problem with spending on socially useful things.

Agreed!
Blackwater Machiavelli was right about Mercs they fight like crap and bleed you dry.
KBR raping American women and electrocuting our troops in the shower I say take the entire firm’s assets!

“Ronald Reagan proved deficits don’t matter”
— Dick Cheney, arguing for Round Two of the Bush taxcuts for the rich

Arnold ran on fixing the budget and like under Reagan it went up what part of debt doesn’t the GOP get.

What is the neighborhood is it under served by hospital care or is it a rich suburb with plenty of hospitals that make money?
Federal earmarks for a hospital in a poor area I can support but for a rich burb with plenty of hospitals then this guy is into Swine Flu Level Pork.

Scozzafava endorses Owens (the Democrat). Her letter to supporters, released at 2pm today (my emphasis):

I want to thank you for your support and friendship. Over the past 24 hours, I have had encouraging words sent to my family and me. Many of you have asked me whom you should support on Tuesday.

Since announcing the suspension of my campaign, I have thought long and hard about what is best for the people of this District, and how to answer your questions. This is not a decision that I have made lightly.

You know me, and throughout my career, I have been always been an independent voice for the people I represent. I have stood for our honest principles, and a truthful discussion of the issues, even when it cost me personally and politically. Since beginning my campaign, I have told you that this election is not about me; it’s about the people of this District.

It is in this spirit that I am writing to let you know I am supporting Bill Owens for Congress and urge you to do the same.

It’s not in the cards for me to be your representative, but I strongly believe Bill is the only candidate who can build upon John McHugh’s lasting legacy in the U.S. Congress. John and I worked together on the expansion of Fort Drum and I know how important that base is to the economy of this region. I am confident that Bill will be able to provide the leadership and continuity of support to Drum Country just as John did during his tenure in Congress.

In Bill Owens, I see a sense of duty and integrity that will guide him beyond political partisanship. He will be an independent voice devoted to doing what is right for New York. Bill understands this district and its people, and when he represents us in Congress he will put our interests first.

Please join me in voting for Bill Owens on Tuesday. To address the tough challenges ahead, we must rise above partisanship and politics and work together. There’s too much at stake in this election to do otherwise.

I thought earmarks ran wild when the GOP and Bush had the House?

Lets see this joker’s budget to fix the National Debt!

There are no rich suburbs in NY23, iirc, the point isn’t where the earmark goes. The point is that Hoffman’s a hypocrite: he served on a board of a hospital that sought, and received, a federal earmark just like the ones he now denounces and says he’ll never vote for.

Would he not have voted for the earmark his own hospital sought?

Great that she is standing by her principles. She is going to be trashed by the Rs and knows it. Maybe she’ll switch parties and run against Hoffman in 2 years.

Amen, brother to No Drones. For a lot of reasons.

What. You expect them to come up with something different? If it was good enough for Saint Ronnie of the Raygun then how can it be improved upon? For fucks sake. Have you no decency? You heretic. You should be burned at the stake.

This guy is a GOPer we need to nail him on what wasteful government spending would he cut.
Does he think KBR should get paid for electrocuting our troops in the Shower and Raping an American girl?
Should Blackwater get paid for war crimes?
Should CEO’s get bonuses after they were bailed out by the government before tax payers get paid back in full?
Should the airlines now that they are paying Pilots Taco Bell manager wages start paying us back?
Or does he just want to cut unemployment benefits and welfare not that unemployment is 10% and rising?
Does he wan t to cut healthcare with the Swine Flu raging?
Lets hear what he will cut:)

This man (hoffman) is one of those ideologues who only cares about abstract priciples and doesn’t realize there are people living in the 23rd. He couldn’t answer questions about local politics at a news conference and his economic ideas are zany. He’s just a piece of bait on Sarah Palin’s hook. I don’t have the link, but please think of either phone banking for Owens or contributing. there is still time.

There would have been extra points if he got a Federal ear mark for a Hospital serving a wealthy area that was already well served with medical care Teddy. Then we could have stuck him more.

How is he doing in his race?

What spending would you cut?

I would cut the pork and wasteful earmarks.

Did he say anything about the bureaucrats? Could he say anything more cliched and meaningless?

What else might he have said?

What spending would you cut?

I’ll keep all the waste and cut the useful stuff.

What. You expect them to come up with something different? If it was good enough for Saint Ronnie of the Raygun then how can it be improved upon?

Well Ronnie loved to bring home the point of wasteful government spending with lies about an imaginary Caddy Driving Welfare queen buying steaks with welfare checks and of course the*cough* liberal Press never called him on his lies until after the election.
The GOP needs scapegoats to sell US vs THEM hate. The GOP needs more Racists in America to win National Elections.

Lets ask him if he would support another Bank Bailout? I think we should get all the GOPers on record as not supporting another bank Bailout:)

If he is against wasteful spending lets make sure he is against GOP wasteful spending. The GOP is Prowar would they support a tax to pay to keep the war going and just who would they tax?

Goldman Saks did pay back with interest and even bought the warrants back at a fair price. Of course they didn’t need the money forced upon them anyway. Obama says there is what something like $500 billion in waste and Fraud in Medicare and Medicade (over 10 years…) but yeah I’m sure they could find huge amounts of fraud and waste in most government spending.

I remember the Ray-Gun days. His obsession with wealth and ideology gave us most of the dictators and angry people we are dealing with today.
I tried to tell people that we would suffer in the long run, but they mostly just wouldn’t listen.

Goldman Saks did pay back with interest and even bought the warrants back at a fair price. Of course they didn’t need the money forced upon them anyway.

True healthy firms were forced to take cash so stock guys would not abandon any firm that was sick and took cash therefore they shouldn’t count.

Obama says there is what something like $500 billion in waste and Fraud in Medicare and Medicade

I’d like to see those numbers but to be fair what if private insurance had to run on government sized profits the savings to the economy would be huge.

Imagine if every company giving their employees healthcare had those costs reduced 10% and that savings was given back to the employees to spur consumer demand?

Bwah-hah-hah-hah!!! Hee, hee, chuckle, snork! Yup, we e-e-e-ville libruls just wanna wreck things and insult Saint Ronnie of the Raygun. [/snark]

It never occurred to me that Reagan’s constant citing of the “welfare queen” was racist until Krugman mentioned it. Then I was like “Ooooh, yeah…”

Well insurance companies have a 2%-3% profit margin on average. These companies have higher salary but not benefits but yeah their could be some savings. Having the government be THE insurance company though would be another degree of separation between the American people and the cost of actually health care not insurance costs. The country needs to look at the actual cost of health care and what drives these costs and what is possible to bring intelligent change to the system. Our government and many people focus on the insurance reform and who pays for what and how all the people are being “screwed over”. The costs of health care need to be addressed and to many people don’t go to the doctor even considering the costs because they don’t want to, that is why we “need change” becuase Americans have lost touch with this part of their life and don’t want to look at the reality that the cost of our great advances in health and medicine is huge.

or even better giving to the company so they could expand their business and higher more workers. I don’t need more money. I want more jobs availiable so I can choose where to work and get higher wages because I deserve it and can go to another company who understands this because I can show them. Selfishness in the name of the greater good of the economy is crap because it is just selfishness. The liberal rally cry was spread the wealth and that is totally not the truth, because unless you personally are willing to sacrifice the is pure selfishness.

You do realize with all of your vast knowledge in accounting rules and such that one of the easiest things for companies like the insurance industry to do is cook the books with write-offs such as they appear to have limited profits don’t you.

If not, you might read this post from masacico last night.

attempting to reduce the fed deficit at this time (high unemployment, high private sector debt) is sheer lunacy.

You really think the insurance companies will use the money for more workers and pay higher wages? Seriously?

Yes I conceded that, but only slightly elaborated sorry I did not continue with a complete disclosure even deeper on both sides

I looked at the statement …

Imagine if every company giving their employees healthcare had those costs reduced 10% and that savings was given back to the employees to spur consumer demand?”

as any company offering health insurance to their employees. And yes I do believe smart businesses would use extra money to grow their business. You can look at it in 2 ways… guess which I choose. 1. They are greedy bastards that only want money money for themselves. or 2. They want to grow their business who will see that by doing so not only will it benefit themselves now but also in the future because of all the benefits that emanate from having more people employed and having a broader scope in you field or industry.

But no I pointedly did not ask for higher wages because business growth and true competition will produce that how I explained. Also of course companies would be stupid to hire more workers just because they have a new influx of cash from savings. An employer can hire an infinite amount of people granted those employees can generate more income than they cost to hire. If both employees and employers understand this the economy would be different with many more success stories and much less whining.

Making him either a liar or an idiot.

I don’t think those are mutually exclusive. I’m pretty sure he’s both.

Why does the US have an archipelago of about 1,000 military bases strewn around the world when we can’t take care of our own at home?

Exactly what does the Department of Defense defend again?