There is no such thing as a free lunch.

“We need earmark reform. And when I’m president, I will go line by line to make sure that we are not spending money unwisely.”

So said Barack Obama during a presidential debate last year. However, the new $410 billion “omnibus” spending bill that Obama will sign into law soon contains over 8,500 earmarks worth almost $8 billion. So says Obama now,

“Done right, earmarks have given legislators the opportunity to direct federal money to worthy projects that benefit people in their district, and that’s why I have opposed their outright elimination.”

Supposedly he’s going to push for “earmark reform” in the next budget. But most Republicans spurned this bill, as did a few democrats – notably Evan Bayh of Indiana. He even wrote a Wall Street Journal Op-Ed piece to complain. Writes Bayh,

This week, the United States Senate will vote on a spending package to fund the federal government for the remainder of this fiscal year. The Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009 is a sprawling, $410 billion compilation of nine spending measures that lacks the slightest hint of austerity from the federal government or the recipients of its largess.

Well said, but so far this president is out of control on government spending. And it’s likely going to get worse.

What are best cities in the United State in which to live if you are a single male, or a single female? The short answers are, if you’re male, head east. If you’re female, go west. Click on the map to get a full-size version. Also there’s tons more data on population, economics, and the future of American cities at http://www.creativeclass.com.

The now former Republican SEC Commissioner shares his thoughts on the economic meltdown:

I didn’t think it was his greatest speech, but it still gave me the chills.

Reason.tv talked with Bourdain about foie gras bans, smoking bans, and other nanny state interventions.