No Earmarks was the Presidential Promise

Let's see if he keeps his word - If not - I expect everyone who voted for him because of that promise to raise all kinds of fuss - because they were fooled again.

from one of my news release sources, Financial E News:

"STIMULUS" BILL PASSES – Under the guise of "stimulus" and a Presidential promise of no earmarks, the House has passed President Obama's "emergency" bill that includes the following. The expectation is that the Senate will remove a number of these appropriations, but time will tell.

• $200 million to rehabilitate the National Mall.
• $276 million to fix the computer systems at the State Department.
• $650 million to repair dilapidated Forest Service facilities.
• $50 million outlay for the National Endowment for the Arts.
• $44 million for repairs at the Agriculture Department headquarters.
• $336 million for sexually transmitted disease efforts.
• $360 million for new child care centers at military bases.
• $1.8 billion to repair National Park Service facilities.
• $276 million to update technology at the State Department.
• $500 million for the Transportation Security Administration to install bomb detectors at airports.
• $1.5 billion for a "carbon-capturing contest."
• $600 million for General Services Administration to replace older vehicles with alternative fuel vehicles.
• $2.5 billion to upgrade low-income housing.
• $400 million for NASA scientists to conduct climate change research.
• $426 million to construct facilities at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• $4.1 billion for "neighborhood stabilization activities"...groups like ACORN.
• $572 million for the Coast Guard for "acquisition, construction, & improvements."
• $800 million to clean up Superfund sites.
• $150 million for the Coast Guard to repair or remove bridges deemed a hazard to navigation.
• $6.7 billion to renovate and improve energy efficiency at federal buildings.
• $400 million to replace the Social Security Administration's 30-year-old National Computer Center.

One could argue the value to society of any or all of the above. One could also argue that some of them will result in job creation. The question, however, is to what degree in the shorter term this spending package will help the tens of thousands of Americans who have lost their private-sector jobs, including the 100,000 plus just last week.