SC Times: Bachmann Submitted Earmark Requests

Larry Schumacher in the SC Times: Bachmann, who submitted five earmark requests for the transportation bill — including $6.4 million for a new interchange at Minnesota Highway 15 and 33rd Street South in St. Cloud and $500,000 to expand St. Cloud's University Bridge — said she was personally supportive of Northstar but couldn't put an earmark request in for it unless it received priority ranking from MnDOT and the St. Cloud Area Planning Organization. An earmark is an earmark is an earmark... no matter what Bachmann calls it (High Priority Project). In the same article, Bachmann admitted she requested earmarks: "If the APO and everybody signs off and it meets the criteria, I can include it," she said. "I'm making an exception to my earmark rule for the transportation bill, because that's the only way these projects can get funded. But they have to meet the criteria." That should answer Andy Aplikowski's question about Bachmann flip-flopping on earmarks: This is all about Bachmann and trying to destroy her. If she didn’t request any projects, they’d say she is just trying to make a name for herself, but if she does, they’ll call her a hypocrite. She's a hypocrite, remember this? H/T Lady. audiovideo MSNBC program: 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. David Shuster's Hypocrisy watch. March 20, 2009. Anchor: Congress approved a bill stuffed with pet projects and earmarks. About ten days ago MB denied taking any earmarks B: I think it is possible, I took a pledge in my own district, I have not taken earmarks in the last three years that I've been in Congress because the system is so corrupt. A: Actually MB requested seven earmarks in 2008, costing taxpayers a total of 3.7 million dollars. The projects included for a 94000 dollars for a sheriff's youth program, 335000 dollars for equipment acquistion for Northland Medical Center and $803,000 for the replacement of small buses in St. Cloud. B was interviewed on another cable channel. B: well the average earmark for the state of Minnesota for the members of congress is somewhere around 70 million dollars, so mine is very very small on that level. A: That is wrong. according to Legistorm, the average earmark for MN members was not 70 million dollar but 2.1 million dollars which is less than the 3.7 million dollars MB requested.