Burger Assumes Command of 349th AMW
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE — In a low-key Sunday morning ceremony described as a fond farewell and a hearty welcome, Brig. Gen. John. C. Flournoy Jr. handed over command of the 349th Air Mobility Wing to his 349th Operations Group commander Col. Matthew Burger. Flournoy thanked all of the 349th Air Mobility Wing and its supporters in the ceremony and predicted that Burger “is going to be a great commander” of the Air Force Reserve wing. “Thank you for all of your untiring efforts,
Congresswoman Endorses A Controversial Rule Change That Could Make Washington DC Work So Much Better
People have all kinds of theories for why Washington DC has gotten so dysfunctional in recent years. There’s the bad economy. There’s the fact that Republicans are in safe, gerrymandered districts, and mostly have to worry about Tea Party challengers in primaries. But if you talk to DC insiders in both parties, one idea that regularly comes up is: Bring back earmarks. Earmarks are basically special provisions in laws that provide some gift or reward to a specific Representati
Rep. Nita Lowey: Bring Back Earmarks
Rep. Nita Lowey on Sunday called for a return of earmarks. “Earmarks, in a responsible way, where it’s all public, you know what you want and you know what you’re going to get, I think it’s very, very helpful, because who knows the district better than a member?” Lowey, the ranking member on the Appropriations Committee, (D-N.Y.) said at a “New Leaders” brunch hosted by POLITICO and Bank of America She also expressed optimism that the Democrats would make significant inroads
Letters: Earmarks Could Have Helped St. Matthews
I am writing to respond to accusations made in The Times and Democrat on Jan. 12, “CDBG water system improvement project set to begin in February,” about my alleged lack of involvement on a St. Matthews water project. Mayor Joe Sikes was in touch with my office on several occasions regarding this project. He requested my assistance to help secure a federal grant to extend water lines to a low-income area of the county. His request was for a grant to cover the entire project c
Frisch and Kelly: Lack of Earmarks Makes Congress Harder to Lead
Gazing back on the 112th Congress, one thing is unmistakable: It was the least productive and most dysfunctional Congress in two generations. From the debt ceiling debacle to the fiscal cliff to the inability to pass appropriations bills, the legislative branch was in a state of perpetual gridlock. Congressional inaction can be blamed, in part, on ideological polarization. However the previous few Congresses were likewise highly polarized and remained fairly productive. What
Sen. Shaheen Seeks To Lift Congressional Ban On Earmarks
U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen wants to lift the Congressional ban on earmarks, imposed under Republican leadership in 2010. Shaheen says earmarks, often criticized as so-called pork spending, were a useful way for lawmakers to target money to projects in their home states. When they were in effect, Shaheen says taxpayers could find information online about who was requesting the money and where it was going. Now, she says under the ban those decisions about spending are left to
Earmarks: The Reluctant Case for Ending the Ban
“I haven’t seen so much lard,” said Ronald Reagan, “since I handed out blue ribbons at the Iowa State Fair.” It was March 1987, and the president was using his weekly radio address to blast a highway spending bill he’d just vetoed. The next month 13 Republican senators deserted him by voting to help Democrats override the veto. As the late Senator Robert Byrd, a Democrat legendary for bringing money home to West Virginia, told his chamber: “Potholes know no party.” Congressio
Air Force Announces KC-46A Candidate Bases
The Air Force announced today Altus Air Force Base, Okla., and McConnell Air Force Base, Kan., as candidate bases for the KC-46A formal training unit (FTU). Altus Air Force Base, Okla.; Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash.; Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D.; and McConnell Air Force Base, Kan., are candidate bases for the first active-duty led KC-46A main operating base (MOB). Forbes Air Guard Station, Kan.; Joint-Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.; Pease Air Guard Station, N.H.; Pitt
Could Reviving Earmarks Get Congress Moving Again?
You scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours” is an old and cherished maxim of our republic. In politics, that’s called an earmark, aka pork. One member of Congress gets a road or a monument for his or her state in exchange for a vote on the bill in question. Congress has lived on this since the era of stovepipe hats. The political vogue lately, however, has been to repudiate those earmarks. But with the recent gridlock in Washington, the feeling is that perhaps some of that g
Florence Kingston
I’m optimistic about the business outlook for Hampton Roads, and especially the Peninsula, in 2013. Of course, there are some significant risks – Europe imploding for one. Federal spending cuts, by and large, won’t have an immediate impact on our economy and shipbuilding should remain stable for several years, as contracts are already in place. The recovery should gain steam during 2013 and that will benefit businesses locally. We’ll continue to see recovery in the housing ma
