Bill Young to Run Agian

The St. Petersburg Times is reporting that Congressman CW "Bill" Young is going to run for re-election this year. From the Times:

Rep. C.W. Bill Young, the white-haired Republican who has brought hundreds of millions of dollars in federal money to Pinellas County, has decided to run for re-election.

Young has been in Congress since 1971 and votes with the Republican Party 87.2% of the time.

Young is in a district that is growing more and more Democratic. In a year that is shaping up as another big year for Democrats, Young did not follow the lead of so many of his colleagues and take this opportunity to retire. I wonder if it is really true that he is hanging on until his son turns 25 so that he can succeed him?

Bill Young Hates Reality, Math

He apparently backs Duncan Hunter for president. I know what you're saying, "Duncan Hunter is running for president? Who is Duncan Hunter?"

FL-10: Bill Young is "An Outright Hog"

Well now we know that there is at least one thing Republican crumb-bum C.W. "Bill" Young is good at: wasteful earmarking and spending.

Republican hypocrisy well at work.

From The Hill:

Senior Republican appropriators in the Senate have collected more money in earmarks than any other members of Congress, even though President Bush and GOP leaders have forcefully criticized “pork-barrel spending.”

Not only have these lawmakers defied their leaders, they have also taken a much greater share of the pot set aside for rank-and-file Republicans than have senior Democrats. As a result, some on the Hill are grumbling privately that GOP appropriators are “not only the kings of pork, they’re outright hogs,” in the words of one Senate Republican aide.

...

Rep. Bill Young (Fla.), the ranking Republican on the Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, is the second-biggest recipient of earmarked funds in the House, securing $161 million.

...

Young said that senior Defense Department officials come to him with requests for the military at large because he is the former chairman of the Appropriations Defense Subcommittee and the panel’s current ranking member.

Wow, who knew it could be so fun to be a Congressman.

Oh yeah and this comes from the same Bill Young who was one of only twelve US House members to vote against compensation for family members who lost their loved ones in a US Embassy bombing. That's right, only twelve Congressional representatives voted against it and Bill Young was one of them. Mind you, this is a D+1 district.

Rep. Bill Young: Good at wasteful spending for defense lobbyists, bad for everyone else.

Young Hates Fiscal Responsibility

Despite the fact that the public pretty much hates earmarks, Young doesn't care:

But that hasn't slowed Rep. C.W. Bill Young, who will send more money home than all but one member of the U.S. House. Young, 76, a Republican from Indian Shores, has slipped $128-million for pet projects into federal appropriations bills, mostly for defense contractors and colleges in Pinellas County.

It seems borderline treasonous to focus on pet projects during wartime and all-time record debts. Lets get Samm Simpson into that office so she can do the right thing.

CW Loves Bush

Pushing Rope notes the percentage of the time Florida Republicans vote in line with President Bush, one of the worst presidents in American history. Not surprisingly, CW loves Bush:

2007 - 71%
2006 - 87%

Young Raking in the Earmark Bucks

C.W. Bill Young is one of the bigger takers of earmark money in Congress:

Florida Rep. C.W. "Bill" Young, the top Republican on the Defense Appropriations panel, received $142 million.

Young has no problem taking money from around the country to fund pork projects in his districts, regardless of the fact that we are at war and have a world-record national debt. To be fair, some Democrats (nationally) are doing this as well, but few members of Congress can approach the amount Young is taking.

Dem Wonders: Are we even trying?

There is a new post on DailyKos regarding this seat. The title, FL-10: Are we even trying? , suggests a certain frustration level with the candidate line up so far. Here is the money quote for me:

I complain, I worry and I vent because FL-10 is a pickup opportunity with or without Rep. Young retiring (which is a possibility). The status quo from the left -- (Samm) Simpson running her campaign the same way as in the past and/or lacking another Democratic challenger who can fundraise against Young -- is just blowing this chance.

The author urges Kossacks:

both nationally and locally to try to get involved with Samm Simpson and help give her the proper direction to victory.

It is the author's hope that

Simpson will focus on her opponent and not on literary allusions that blasts the president. Focus on the issues facing the local populous and not on the conspiracy theories behind 9-11 and the invasion of Iraq.

If Simpson ever hopes to be a serious candidate, i.e, one with a chance of winning, that would be good advice to listen to.

Does anyone want to volunteer to take up that issue with Samm?