Kansas and Wichita quick takes: Thursday November 18, 2010

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But did he vote for him? The press release doesn’t say if he voted for the House Speaker Designee, but Congressman-in-waiting Mike Pompeo of the Kansas fourth district is pleased that John Boehner will be the next Speaker of the House of Representatives: “Congressman Boehner and I share the same vision for moving our nation in a new direction. Voters have made it clear they want smaller government, less spending and more individual freedom. The American people have directed us to put our country back on a course toward opportunity and economic prosperity. I look forward to working with Speaker Boehner and my colleagues in the 112th Congress as we work to meet the challenge before us.”

Last call for Irish coffee? I’ve always thought that Irish coffee was the perfect food, providing four essential nutrients in one tasty beverage: alcohol, caffeine, sugar, and fat. But this beverage may soon be banned. A U.S. Food and Drug Administration news release states: “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today warned four companies that the caffeine added to their malt alcoholic beverages is an ‘unsafe food additive’ and said that further action, including seizure of their products, is possible under federal law.” Coffee isn’t a “malt beverage,” I don’t believe, but what’s to stop the FDA from extending this prohibition?

At least one will still earmark. Now that Lisa Murkowski has won reelection to the U.S. Senate, she “is in debt to nobody,” according to the Washington Examiner. And the seeming consensus on banning earmarks? “Murkowski has repeatedly said this week she will continue to request earmarks, justifying them because Alaska is a ‘young’ state (a ‘young state’ that takes five dollars in spending for every dollar in taxes it sends to Washington, according to the Cato Institute). Murkowksi points out that the Republican Senate Conference rule banning earmarks has no real enforcement mechanism, and says she’ll chose Alaska over the party. But Murkowski’s earmarking shows us that pork isn’t about helping out the home state as much as it’s about rewarding political donors and greasing the gears of the political patronage machine.”

Comments

3 responses to “Kansas and Wichita quick takes: Thursday November 18, 2010”

  1. ictator

    Murkowski=pork and bridges to nowhere. History has recorded the apocryphal story that Nero fiddled while the city of Rome burned. If a similar obituary is ever needed for this republic, quoting Murkowski on earmarks ought to be cited.

  2. Lauren

    You’d think that Alaska would at least try to hide their subsidized state of their state! I’m surprised Murkowski speaks so boldly and open about her intentions to steal more than Alaska’s fair share.

  3. Ann H.

    Murkowsi is a spoiled brat. How on earth could a plurality of Alaskans have voted for this woman?!? Now she’s set a precedent for entrenched, entitlement-minded Senators and Reps who don’t want to lose their seats to run as “independents” when they lose their primaries. This is really dangerous now as Americans are finally starting to wake up and see the need to oust the Republican establishment. We have a long way to go and some good opportunities to oust the establishment in 2012 but it’ll be a really tough fight if a lot of them decide to pull a “Murkowski.”

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