Group Calls Sen. Burr ‘Taxpayer Hero’

The Club for Growth released its 2007 Senate RePORK Card on Monday, which scored all U.S. senators’ votes on 15 anti-pork amendments in 2007, and determined that N.C. Sen. Richard Burr met the club’s earmark-reducing standards perfectly.

Republican Sens. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and Jim DeMint of South Carolina, whom the club characterized as “taxpayer heroes,” offered all the amendments. But the club found that despite earnest rhetoric to curb their addiction to earmarks, most senators fell short in their commitment to reduce targeted spending.

“For all the talk about fiscal responsibility, it is clear that many senators are more interested in securing pet projects than living up to their campaign promises,” said Pat Toomey, president of the club. “Fortunately, taxpayers can look at the Club for Growth’s House (released in August) and Senate RePORK Cards and hold their senators and representatives accountable for wasting taxpayer dollars on hippie museums and beaches.”

Only Coburn, DeMint, and Burr received perfect scores of 100 percent and were present for a majority of the votes.

“Senator Burr is clearly a taxpayer hero, voting in favor of every anti-pork amendment offered,” Toomey said. “If more senators had Senator Burr’s respect for taxpayers, American taxpayers would be a lot better off.”

The only senator receiving zero percent was Sen. Tim Johnson, a South Dakota Democrat, who voted against all 10 anti-pork amendments he was present for. The average Republican score was 59 percent, while the average Democratic score was 12 percent.

The highest-scoring Democrat was Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold with 80 percent, tying with or scoring better than 39 Republican senators, including North Carolina’s other senator, Elizabeth Dole. She voted in support of only 62 percent of the amendments that would eliminate specific earmarks.

“Although she voted against many pork projects,” Toomey said, “Senator Dole ought to explain why she thinks taxpayers should be forced to pay for bike paths, a Montana baseball field, a North Dakota peace garden, and a wetlands center in Louisiana.”

Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky scored lower than Dole with 53 percent, while Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada scored at 7 percent, voting for only one amendment.

The club said only two amendments were successful. The most popular amendment was offered by DeMint to bar the use of funds appropriated for spinach growers in the Iraq Supplemental Bill, which passed, 97-0. The other amendment was offered by Coburn to eliminate $1 million for a museum in New York dedicated to the Woodstock Festival. It passed, 52-42.

Some of the pork projects targeted for elimination through amendments included:

* $100 million for the 2008 Republican and Democratic nominating conventions. The amendment failed, 45-51.

* Adding sand to San Diego’s beaches. The amendment failed, 12-77.

* Millions of dollars for bicycle paths instead of using the funds to improve bridge safety. The amendment failed, 18-80.

* A visitors’ center in Louisiana instead of providing shelter for victims of Hurricane Katrina. The amendment failed, 11-79.

* Funds for a baseball field in Montana, the International Peace Garden in North Dakota, and a wetlands center in Louisiana. The amendment failed, 32-63.

* $2 million for the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service at City College of New York, requested by Sen. Charles Rangel. The amendment failed, 34-61.

The club conducted a similar exercise for U.S. House members in August, and found that of North Carolina’s delegation, Rep. Sue Myrick, R-9th, scored the highest on eliminating earmarks, supporting 96 percent of amendments.

Six of North Carolina’s seven Democrat House members voted against all the pork-killing amendments. Thirteenth District Democrat Brad Miller backed only one amendment, as did the 8th District’s Robin Hayes, a Republican.