Ron Paul vs Rand Paul on Earmarks

The real cost of earmarks is the bills that they help pass.

It is called the prisoner's dilemma people. If you don't attach earmarks, your district loses out big time while everyone else continues to to take a piece of the pie.

If you don't want earmarks at all, you either outlaw them or shrink the pie dramatically. Until then, it doesn't make practical sense to appropriate funds to your district when the funds are already going to be spent anyway, and probably for some wasteful federal program.

Sorry i meant it doesn't make practical sense to NOT appropriate funds

I have always disagreed with Dr. Paul on this issue. To request what are at core unconstitutional projects just makes no sense to me. I like the errand boy reference for a Member who requests same. My preferred reference is a cross between Santa Claus and an ATM machine.

my opinion on earmarks is that earmarks are wrong because the money goes to unnecessary,special projects. its entirely wasteful spending, the money doesn't go to the poor. think of the bridge to nowhere project in alaska with sarah palin. the funds go to completely unnecessary upperclass projects. or like ron pauls district, he represents wealthy people, who want a "pretty" neighborhood. with big extravagant fountains and things like that.

all valid points, but we need to shift the focus away from earmarks and to the big picture. Like Dr. Ron Paul, earmarks consist of only 1% of the budget, while we handed TRILLIONS of dollars and we don't even know where it went

When they are both in office a "disagreement" could be a great way to get people thinking about an issue. So long as there is room to disagree that is. Interesting.

Ha Ha, Rand is finally stepping out on his own.....This will be the true "Lion of the Senate"...Young Lion yes, but fast and agile and only growing stronger....

This is not what I'm worried about.

The two viewpoints are not really at odds with each other, in my opinion. Rand opposes earmarks because he's against pork barrel spending; Ron favors earmarks because he wants transparency.
More transparency, less pork - both good goals.