Talk about hypocrisy. A West Virginia Republican who used the Tea Party to help him gain his office finds nothing wrong with a little federal pork as long as it lands in his own district. To wit: "Rep. David McKinley, a Republican who came into office with tea party support, sided on the issue with Democratic Sen. Jay Rockefeller, a fellow West Virginian who has used his position as chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation to support the current funding."

Moreover, he seems quite at home with the notion that government spending can create jobs, again, as long as it's in his district. To wit: "McKinley describes himself "as a small government, free-market focused owner of a small business," but said airports that receive subsidies "serve as crucial engines of job creation for many small towns and rural areas."

Now correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't the Tea Party crowd supposed to come to Washington and do away with things like excessive and wasteful government spending? I guess if you can grab some of the taxpayer's loot and spread it around in your own neck of the woods, well so much the better. Sounds and seems like business as usual to me.

sjg

8/12/11

Gov't pays for empty flights to rural airports: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_AVIATION_SHUTDOWN_RURAL_SUBSIDIES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-08-11-21-42-37