I agree with all that.
Members of both parties have been screaming reform, reform, reform and then when it comes down to it, it's "everybody has to quit earmarking but me!"
Conservatives have gained momentum for now. Next year or the year after that, or the year after that it'll swing back the other way because they'll strip too much and hurt too many people's livelihoods. It depends on how fast they do it. So far it isn't looking like very fast.