ear marks, I approve of them

What in hell's an ear mark?

Here they are tags, brands or tattoos that go on animals to identify them.

I think you are wrong.

of course you do. Don't even think I haven't noticed how you stalk both me and Mame just to post hateful comments.

But I don't hate you, and I certainly don't hate Mame. I merely wanted to let you know that I had detected your deliberate attempt to provoke me. That hurts my fellings because I know you understand what a nice guy I am.

Of course they are a primary function of Congress. Government collective action allows the entire country to bring resources to help solve local problems. Your Congressman represents your local needs to the rest of the country. Collectively, we can afford roads and bridges, a university system, hospitals, levies to protect us from flooding, etc. Without collective action, no one can afford these things. In a world where local government projects are not allowed, our infrastructure falls apart. For every ridiculous bridge to nowhere, there are dozens of needed bridges built.

Oh ya!!! Just a little show for the rubes... Consider the words of Eugene Debs: I would rather vote for something and not get it than not vote for something and get it... When those bastards use our tax dollars to buy our votes they aren't doing us any kind of favors... What would be nice is if they would quit thinking they are doing us a favor by giving money to the rich... If they wanted to help, they would make it illegal to whipsaw the people into a lower wage with the threat of relocating business overseas or to the South... If we have no protection from other states or countries we will be reduced to slavery... It is only a matter of time, and we already have one half of the poulation thinking slavery is a great idea... I don't agree..

You are out of your mind... The national parties make certain every issue has to become a national issue to be acted upon... They do not make problem solving easier but more protracted and painful...

Earmarks mean that they are acted upon with national help, not with national attention.

Identity chips are now injected in most cases.
chip can be read with the cattle moving, and the information goes directly to the farm computer using Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or cable,” he said. “There are also readers that store data from chips that can be downloaded to a computer, and portals can be installed in places such as corrals.”

gives new meaning to cow chips, eh...

moo.

Once more... Nonsense... Not every issue is a national issue... Not every little bridge or street is a national issue... The problem is this: The fixed number of representatives from highly divided districts mean that some parties are held powerless for generations through Gerrimandering... Then, if you need something but are out of power, you have to pay... Do you figure that collective bargaining needs defense in congress??? Only if the attack on organized labor is universal in Washington... The democrats are no better at supporting Labor than the Republicans who hate every form of democracy, especially in the work place... Does gun right, the right to self defense, the right to bear arms need a national party??? Only because the attack on rights is so common that people right and left are always put on the defense against the power of government with the support of the majority to snatch rights... The parties deny to the people their voice, divide them to deny representation to the maximum degree, and then use this as justification for parties, so that even if you are denied your choice in your own district, that a representative from another district will take up your cause...

How about every district having representation according to the constitution instead instead of one rep for ever 600K plus from divided districts???... Don't you think that would add to the umber of representatives representing only their own districts???

The constitution foresaw a body growing with the population to allow democracy to function... The parties which are extra constitutional bodies made an extra constitutional change, that the people have never been allowed a vote on, to keep the house manageable... Where is the management of government by the parties listed as a goal of the constitution???... If it is supposed to be a free for all by the nature of our differences, or a riot, or a blood bath; better them than us, because all they have done is lead us into division, when unity is the stated goal of the government .....The rights of any person acting in his own interest, following his own desires so long as he bothers no other person or affects him negatively does not have to become a federal issue to be allowed...

I would think it should be obvious that they can be civil when we cannot, that they can join in the divsion of our plunder and leave us to quarrel over the scraps, that the parties serve no one but themselves...The Mark Hanna canclusion, that no one holding public office owes the public anything is universal... Our votes are bought and paid for, a foregone conclusion for one party or the other since we have no choice, and they owe someone for our votes, the national party, big money, but not us...

I just know you're not trying to imply that bridges don't get built without earmarks.

I think it's a union issue.

I'm thinking 'earwigs' would make as much sense to us dumb aussies. Does anyone have any idea what they are talking about?

I think earmarks are tags they put on bridges in America so they know which ones anyone in the nation can use and those that only people from the South or from overseas can use. I think. Oh yeah, and people pay for them by voting.

And they must be okay because Dys likes them and Fido doesn't.

Dys is usually wrong by design. Fido is right because the laws of chance says he must be - sooner or later.

See if this helps hinge. I have no idea either.
In United States politics, an earmark is a legislative (especially congressional) provision that directs approved funds to be spent on specific projects, or that directs specific exemptions from taxes or mandated fees.[1] The term "earmark" is used in this sense only in the United States.

Typically, a legislator seeks to insert earmarks that direct a specified amount of money to a particular organization or project in his/her home state or district. Earmarks are often considered synonymous with "pork barrel" legislation, although the two are not necessarily the same.

There is more here that might help clarrify.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earmark_%28politics%29

Sounds about right. Earmarks are attached to other legislation, though. Usually to essential bills such as the federal budget. Keep an eye on our dying duck congress while they try to pass the budget needed to keep the government operating. We'll see who's serious about earmarks, though many in the final session of congress won't be returning next year. This bill is usually called an omnibus bill, because it has so many riders attached. A rider is an attachment that has about nothing to do with the underlying bill.

One of our rescue bills, TARP I or TARP II was passed in emergency session. It carried a provision exempting wooden arrows from an excise tax applied to guns, bows, ammunition, and arrows. Some emergency, huh?

Edit: That's "lame duck", not "dying duck". Lame ducks are those in office and legislating their little hearts out because they know they won't be back where they can be picked on by voters.