Update talking points
Dear Editor,
Dick Trail needs to update his partisan talking points on earmarks because they are really out-of-date.
In his latest column, he states, "earmarks are a significant part of any federal budget yet today."
Please, sir, define "significant." First, there are no earmarks in bills now before the Senate.
Second, Sen. Nelson has introduced zero earmarks.
And third, there are only seven earmarks in a House Agriculture Appropriations bill recently analyzed by Citizens Against Government Waste. As they point out, that's a 61 percent decrease from the previous year. Now, that's significant!
Incidentally, those seven earmarks somehow found their way into a bill sponsored by Republicans and allowed by a committee that is chaired by the Republican majority. This from the majority that has publicly taken a vow against earmarking.
Dick Trail has never let the facts stand in the way of his views and I suspect most people in McCook understand this. Usually I overlook it but I felt in this case the record needed to be corrected and readers deserved to know the facts.
Sincerely,
Jim Fagin
Deputy Director
of Communications
Sen. Ben Nelson