Last week Jane Hamsher wrote a good piece at FireDogLake about Newt Gingrich’s big spending on private planes. She noted that Gingrich’s organization American Solutions paid $3,360,346 to Moby Dick Airways, which charters private planes, during 2008 alone. American Solutions raised a total of $25,489,668 last year, and donations below $200 made up $7,343,986 of that amount.

Hamsher asked a good question:

On their contributions page, it says “American Solutions is here to serve as your voice in the political process.” Did the people who gave this money think they were donating so Newt and Company could jet around on private planes?

I’m pretty sure they didn’t, because last night I received a fundraising call from American Solutions. As I always do when I am a respondent for any political survey, I grabbed a pen and took notes, which you’ll find after the jump.

There has been a long held myth by the Republican Party that they are more conservative than there Democratic counterparts. They depend on this myth to get them elected in times of economic strife and they depend, as they do on many other issues, on the ignorance and the fear they try to offer to the great people of America in place of real solutions.

 Case in point…Earmarks.

Despite what the Republicans would like to tell you, earmarks, a true mark of the “out of control liberal spending” that Far right wingers try to make us fear, is nearly monopolozed by the Republican Party.

Here is a list of the Republicans in the Senate that have more earmarks than Democratic Nominee Senator Obama. Keep in mind that since the Republicans no longer have the majority, there earmarks are substantially lower than 2006.

1. Senator Chocran, Miss. 837 Million

2. Senator Spector, Penn. 218 Million

3. Senator Shelby, Alabama 427 Million

4. Senator Stevens, Alaska 456 Million

5. Senator Bond, Missouri  454 Million

6. Senator Dominici, New Mexico 246 Million

7. Senator Grassley, Iowa 323 Million

8. Senator Hutchinson, Texas 254 Million

9. Senator Warner, Virginia 252 Million

10. Senator Vitter, Louisanna, 233 Million

11. Senator Smith, Oregon, 151 Million

12. Senator Chambliss, Georgia 167 Million

13. Senator Dole, North Carolina 147 Million

14. Senator Voinovich, Ohio 162 Million

15. Senator Lugar, Indiana, 130 Million

16. Senator Inhofe, Oklahoma 146 Million

17. Senator Bennett, Utah 137 Million

18. Senator Coleman, Minnesota, 172 Million

19. Senator Craig, Idaho 137 Million

20. Senator Isakson, Georgia 160 Million

21. Senator Burr, North Carolina, 116 Million

22. Senator Martinez, Florida 128 Million

23. Senator Coryn, Texas 154 Million

24. Senator McConnel, Kentucky 185 Million

25. Senator Collins, Maine 131 Million

26. Senator Crapo, Idaho, 121 Million

27. Senator Snowe, Maine, 120 Million

28. Senator Allard, Colorado, 100 Million

29. Senator Hatch, Utah, 131 Million

30. Senator Sessions, Alabama, 213 Million

31. Senator Thune, South Dakota, 168 Million

32. Senator Alexander, Tenn. , 124 Million

33. Senator Grahm, South Carolina, 103 Million

34. Senator Ensign, Nevada, 103 Million

Along with three Congressional Republicans that are spending above Senator Obama's 98 Million in earmarks.

Sorry about the long post DMDem, but this needed to be said…

PS.. Tom Latham Ranks 15th in all of congress in Earmarks and Steve King is spending more than “Liberal” Democratic Congressman Bobby Rush of Illinois.

Source: http://www.governmentguide.com/congressorg/power_rankings/power_cats.tt?cat=E&submit.x=3&submit.y=9

The topic of earmarks is one that has been frquently chatted about on many of the Republican blog posts. I hear a lot of Democrat so and so did this and Liberal So and So did that, so I thought I should share a few facts about Pork Barrel Spending and our Representatives here in Iowa.

Fact 1: The leader among senators in earmarks?

Republican Thad Cochran Mississippi, with $837,000,000+!!!!!!

Fact: 2: The leader among Senators in Iowa?

Republican Chuck Grassley with  $323,000,000+!!!

 Fact 3: The Leader among Iowa congressmen?

Republican Tom Latham with $69,000,000+!!!

Fact 4: Notable Legislatures that have less ear marks than Latham's 63

Democratic Sen. Obama 55

Democratic Sen. Feingold 0

Democratic Sen. McCaskill 0

Democratic Rep. Boswell (IA) 26

Democratic Rep. Braley (IA) 27

Democratic Rep. Loebsack (IA) 25

Here is to hoping Latham's hypocrasy doesnt go unnoticed.

Happy Easter!