No pork-barrel projects added to Hurricane appropriations bills
A sample of the letter I sent to Senator Herb Kohl and Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin (following up with phone calls later in the week):
Following last week’s devastating hurricanes and flooding in the Gulf region, you and your colleagues in Congress acted quickly to pass an initial $10.5 billion relief package.
I understand President Bush has already asked for an additional $40 billion. As Hurricane Katrina, followed by Hurricane Rita, has been called the most expensive disaster in the country’s history, and it is possible that total federal aid could excess $100 billion,
I call on you to act responsibly with relief packages. No pork-barrel projects should be added to any Hurricane Katrina/Rita-related appropriations bills, and I urge you to help offset the cost of these bills by returning the $24 billion for the 6,400 earmarks in the recently enacted highway bill.
Wisconsin’s total pork: almost $419 million, or $78.07 per capita. No. 1 in per person spending: the $1,501 for Alaska, home state of House member Don Young, chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee that orchestrated the pork allocations.
Like the rest of the $24 billion in pet projects around the country, the ones in Wisconsin are near-and-dear to constituents, giving incumbent congressmen a boost toward re-election and diverting public attention from the billions of dollars in federal deficit spending.
We expect congressmen to brag about the pork they dragged home, but it’s no cause for celebration. Taxpayers, and their kids and grandkids, would be far better off with a federal budget that balances.
In the past, members of Congress have not thought twice about short-changing taxpayers by inserting self-serving pork projects into emergency spending bills.
However, in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the devastation and loss of life is so great that disaster victims must come before parochial interests. The least that you and your colleagues can do is to reject funding for unrelated pork projects in Congress’ aid for hurricane recovery and cut the $24 billion in highway pork to help pay for hurricane relief.
If there has ever been a time for Congress to eliminate pork, that time is now. I urge you to act responsibly and not waste precious tax dollars needed by struggling disaster victims.
I would like to hear from you office your stance on pork spending and how you will act towards the elimination of pork to help pay for hurricane relief – - and in the larger picture, help balance the federal budget?
Sincerely,
Lisa L. Sabin
Wisconsin – 5th District
admin@rightvoices.com
To find out what pork exists in your state – check out the Pig book
Also, check out the Porkbusters Project going on at Truth Laid Bear – working in cooperation, and headed up by, Glenn Reynolds – help the blogosphere cut the fat.
What is pork barrell spending, you may ask?
Pork-barrel politics, a derogatory term, is usually used to mean government spending that benefits a relatively small group, either united by a common interest or a geographic area. While sometimes used generally for any government spending that someone or a group considers unneeded or wasteful, some political scientists narrow the definition to any spending on a project that never received a congressional hearing. Frequently influential members of Congress slip lines into spending bills, formally known as appropriations bills, that allocate money to a project in their district.
Related:
Michelle Malkin’s pre-blog site called Pork Watch – dedicated to blowing the whistle on the forced redistribution of public dollars to targeted special interests.
Chicagoboyz making an attempt to zero in on the cuts that will do the most good per unit of political resistance that must be overcome, both in terms of money saved and in terms of economic activity discouragement and redirection eliminated.
Find the pork a game by Sean Gleason.
Truthprobe says the Republicans are spending money like a buncha drunken sailors.
The Badger Blog Alliance thinks it’s scary that the first Represenative to commit to pork cuts is Nancy Pelosi! I agree!
Blogs for Bush weighs in: Let’s all join in and help Congress trim down the budget as the President has suggested in light of the billions it’s going to cost to rebuild the areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina..
RedState.org : Things are starting to look an awful lot like 1998 when a GOP Congress passed a pork-fest highway bill and a bloated omnibus appropriations bill that violated all of the spending caps in place at the time. Turnout was depressed in the mid-term election even though the House had done some heavy lifting by impeaching President Clinton. The Republicans lost seats, and Speaker Newt Gingrich could not ride out the storm. Might that be the same fate of Denny Hastert, Tom DeLay, Roy Blunt, and Deborah Pryce? Time will tell.
September 25, 2005 - 05:23 PM on September 25th, 2005
Excellelant Lisa!
September 25, 2005 - 06:59 PM on September 25th, 2005
I have heard of some pretty wild pork projects including 450:000 to study that mating habbits of japanees quail or how about the money spent on a tato removal palor and have you heard about the $333:000 spent to build the fancy flowing water privy in some national aprtk somewhere?
September 25, 2005 - 07:35 PM on September 25th, 2005
all government deals make money for someone and pork in the barrel is the way business is done, its normal as can-be and no one can stop it at all, just keep a good eye on the coming years and you will find out i am right on the “pig barrel”, with that statement.
oh yes N.O., Will be rebuild the city and cost over 800 billion in the end, look at the facts, oh yes! you will see 1 to 1.5 million more Mexican nationals getting jobs and any American who applies will be told that no job is available and for a political reason, the boys and girls in Washington are now making deals with the drug government of Mexico for a reason, do you know what that reason is?, i do.:roll:
September 25, 2005 - 07:41 PM on September 25th, 2005
Fred – -OK, ok… I agree that NO pork is blatantly optimistic, idealistic and just downright unrealistic… but the pig is wielding a mighty sword these days.
Though, it needs to start somewhere.
to answer your question? Two words: Latino vote.
September 25, 2005 - 07:56 PM on September 25th, 2005
We won’t be re-building the city Fred. That is for private citizens and NOLA to do. It would be un-constitutional for the feds to rebuild private property.
September 25, 2005 - 08:00 PM on September 25th, 2005
Don’t count on the whole ’states rights’ thing to save our tax dollars from rebuilding costs of private property in the gulf states – - this government has a very very gray line between federal involvement on state issues.
Could it be argued that it’s a federal disaster (multi-state, multi-city) – therefore a portion of it is a federal obligation?
September 25, 2005 - 08:32 PM on September 25th, 2005
6- No it really can’t be Lisa. The feds can only pay for things such as the levies and the highways etc. It is the private property owners responsibility to rebuild their land and that will be taken care of by the insurance payoffs. The feds can loan the states money, but the federal government can not pay for re-construction on private property. Nor do I feel they should. It is unfortunate what has happened, but lets not kid ourselves about the risk of owning property down there. This is hurricaine season. Florida has been hit harder than any of the other southern states. NOLA is a city that sits 9″ under sea level.
September 25, 2005 - 08:36 PM on September 25th, 2005
Note though that the feds will incure the clean-up costs, but don’t be surprised if that isn’t charged back to the state.
September 25, 2005 - 08:57 PM on September 25th, 2005
The actual rebuilding private homes.. no. But the feds do help with rent, mortage relief, .. Some property owners without flood insurance (which mortgage lenders require of most people living in flood-plains) will get relief from a federal disaster-loan program. (because flood insurance is too expensive? I have no idea how much flood insurance costs… living in wisconsin, I’ve never looked into it. I mean what are the justifications people have for not having flood insurance when they own property in those areas?)
I’m in agreement with you Peejz .. the realities of living in that area are harsh. Floridians know that better than anyone.
The whole rebuilding in all the gulf states with katrina.. and now with rita.. is going to cost this country in a big way. Of course asking politicians to cut out the pork when it comes to hurricane appropriations is one thing… on a smaller level, it doesn’t help when some of their constituents in the gulf states are using their FEMA and Red Cross cash cards with up to $2,000 on them, in topless clubs, Victoria‘s Secret shops, luxury and home electronic stores – talk about a waste of money! How many folks donated to the Red Cross out the goodness of their hearts – - and how many were infuriated when THOSE reports started coming out?
Don’t you sometimes get the feeling that the shit is getting piled real high and deep?
September 25, 2005 - 09:02 PM on September 25th, 2005
pork always rules the day, i hope i am wrong, but the system is your system you cam only make it work the right way if you!, yes you!…act on your will for good government of the people and by the people, but the question is who are the people? and who will rule the pork in the end of this long day:???:
September 25, 2005 - 09:04 PM on September 25th, 2005
9- agree with your comments. I am of the opinion that unless we, the public, demand some cuts, nothing will happen.
September 26, 2005 - 04:47 PM on September 26th, 2005
Looks like some people are listening
May 13, 2006 - 01:57 AM on May 13th, 2006
then i looked around me, and down at the shag pile rug i was sinking into, and realised that maybe, for him, they’d never been away.
May 13, 2006 - 02:10 AM on May 13th, 2006
Enjoy our beloved Gore Vidal in all his clothed glory.