posted by myclob | 12:05 PM |
permalinkposted by Justin Hart | 11:13 AM |
permalink
And we're not talking about flying pigs, rather flying earmarks. John Thune's is a decent guy and a good Senator but is already neck deep in pork spending. See
this entry from the CAGW:
The Dakota, Minnesota, and Eastern Railroad (DM&E) is trying to secure a record $2.3 billion loan through the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). The loan would allow DM&E to expand and improve a rail line that is used primarily to transport coal from Wyoming to Minnesota, a route already served by two other railroads.
Sounds like a decent project -- although, that is a LOT of money and apparently a record loan. Say, who should we get to advocate this?
The loan application was made possible largely through the efforts of Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), a former lobbyist for DM&E who earned $220,000 from the railroad in 2003 and 2004. After his election to the Senate in 2005, Sen. Thune played a key role in setting new criteria for the FRA's loan financing program and increasing its budget a whopping tenfold -- from $3.5 billion to $35 billion -- in the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act.
Yikes! That sounds like a conflict of interests - if only a perceived one. Of course, now that Thune has endorsed John "Government-changed-us" McCain, perhaps it all makes sense?
Two peas in a pod, or better yet, porks in a barrel.
Labels: McCain, pork, spending, thune
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