Democrats Defend Their Pork Packaging
“With our vote this week, we’re helping our troops, protecting our veterans, and fighting to end the waste, fraud and abuse,” said Hodes, delivering the Democrats’ weekly radio address.
Here is a reminder of the waste in that bill.Â
Michelle Malkin has tons of great info!
Hot Air is a must read!
Rep. Mike Pence quips:
“Here are some examples of what the Democrats consider ‘urgent’ needs that require ‘prompt action: ‘– $25 million for payments to spinach producers
– $120 million to the shrimp industry
– $74 million for peanut storage
– $5 million for shellfish, oyster and clam producers“Spinach, shrimp, peanuts and shellfish? That’s not a war funding bill, that’s the salad bar at Denny’s.”
Below is a list of the most egregious and irrelevant special-interest goodies in the Senate supplemental:
$1.5 billion to the Army Corps of Engineers for recovery along the coast, including funding for Hawaii for an April 2006 flood;$850 million for Department of Homeland Security grants ($625M for rail/transit grants, $190M for port security grants, and $35M for urban area security grants);
$660 million for the procurement of an explosives detection system for the Transportation Security Administration;
$640 million for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program;
$425 million for education grants for rural areas;
$388.9 million for a backlog of Department of Transportation projects;
$165.9 million (including $60.4 million for salmon fisheries in the Klamath Basin region) for fisheries disaster relief;
$75 million for salaries and expenses for the Farm Service Agency;
$48 million in disaster construction money for NASA;
$25 million for grants through the Safe and Drug Free Schools program;
$25 million for asbestos abatement at the Capitol Power Plant;
$24 million to sugar beet producers;
$22.8 million for geothermal research and development;
$20 million for reimbursements to Nevada for “insect damage;”
$12 million for Forest Service money requested by the president in the non-emergency FY2008 budget
$3.5 million for guided tours of the Capitol;
$3 million for sugar cane; and
Allows the transfer of funds from holiday ornament sales in the Senate gift shop.
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And in the House version:
$500 million for emergency wildfires suppression; the Forest Service currently has $831 million for this purpose;$400 million for rural schools;
$283 million for the Milk Income Loss Contract program;
$120 million to compensate for the effects of Hurricane Katrina on the shrimp and menhaden fishing industries;
$100 million for citrus assistance;
$74 million for peanut storage costs;
$60.4 million for salmon fisheries in the Klamath River region in California and Oregon;
$50 million for asbestos mitigation at the U.S. Capitol Plant;
$48 million in salaries and expenses for the Farm Service Agency;
$35 million for NASA risk mitigation projects in Gulf Coast;
$25 million for spinach growers;
$25 million for livestock;
$20 million for Emergency Conservation Program for farmland damaged by freezing temperatures;
$16 million for security upgrades to House of Representatives office buildings;
$10 million for the International Boundary and Water Commission for the Rio Grande Flood Control System Rehabilitation project;
$6.4 million for House of Representative’s Salaries and Expenses Account for business continuity and disaster recovery expenses;
$5 million for losses suffered by aquaculture businesses including breeding, rearing, or transporting live fish as a result of viral hemorrhagic septicemia;
$4 million for the Office of Women’s Health at the Food and Drug Administration; and
A minimum wage increase, which is the subject of separate legislation.
Brian Riedl and Baker Spring explain what’s wrong with the supplemental.
So much for all those pledges of fiscal responsibility and all the lip service about supporting the troops…
The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan–whom this legislation was originally designed for–have become merely a bargaining chip for a Congress that could never pass this additional $21 billion [in pork-barrel spending] on its own. Lawmakers are effectively telling President Bush that the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan cannot have their body armor unless Congress gets $16 million for additional office space in the House of Representatives.
Congress has larded President Bush’s defense supplemental bill with $21 billion in unrelated add-ons. This wish list, representing a who’s who of special interests, brings the total cost of the bill to $124 billion. The result may be the most expensive “emergency” legislation in American history.
Noel Sheppard has more:
It must have been very chilly in hell on Friday, for the editorial division of a major newspaper actually came down on Democrats.
I kid you not.
For those that missed it, the Washington Post ran an editorial Friday entitled “Retreat and Butter,” with a sub-headline “Are Democrats in the House voting for farm subsidies or withdrawal from Iraq?”
Having asked a tremendously valid question that most in the antiwar media have ignored as the Iraq debate heated up on Capitol Hill this week, the Post surprisingly and accurately answered its own question (better strap yourself in your seat):
Others blogging:
- House sets Surrender Date : The Crimson Blog
- The American Pundit » Blog Archive » Bush To Address House Bill- Wow. Shocker.™
- Bush To Pelosi: Suck Up & Bust : “7.62mm Justice” â„¢
- Mary Katharine Ham
- Riehl World View
- JammieWearingFool
- Ace of Spades HQ
- The Mighty Righty
- The LLama Butchers
- Wake up America-Question Their Humanity
- Blue Crab Boulevard » 218
- Iraq Vote | PAWaterCooler.com
- The Drive By Review
- House Democrats Pass Pork Bill with Timetable for Iraq War – Associated Content « Chaotic Ramblings
- Democrats: Defeat with a Side of “Blue Hogs” « Utah Rattler
- Texas Rainmaker
- Flopping Aces
- Point Five » Anyone Who Thinks Iraq Is Just Like Vietnam:
- The American Street » Blog Archive » Great Moments in Cirques de Crawford Humor
- The Corn Beltway Boys
- The Ignorance of Liberals Continues to Amaze Me « AmeriCAN-DO Attitude
- Maggie’s Farm
- House sets Surrender DateÂ
- House Dhimmicrats SurrenderÂ
- Irony of the Day: House Bill to Surrender to Muslim Extremists Loaded with PorkÂ
- Selling Out The TroopsÂ
- 2007.03.23 Iraq/Iran/Surrendercrat RoundupÂ
- Bush Hammers Party of DefeatÂ
- Vote Buying and Iraq
Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, Perri Nelson’s Website, The Virtuous Republic, Shadowscope, Stuck On Stupid, The Amboy Times, Pursuing Holiness, Pet’s Garden Blog, Rightlinx, third world county, Woman Honor Thyself, Pentimento, stikNstein… has no mercy, The Uncooperative Blogger, Pirate’s Cove, LaTogaStrappata®, The Pink Flamingo, Right Pundits, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, A Blog For All, The Random Yak, 123beta, Maggie’s Notebook, Adam’s Blog, basil’s blog, Cao’s Blog, Phastidio.net, The Bullwinkle Blog, Jo’s Cafe, Conservative Cat, Conservative Thoughts, LaTogaStrappata®, sissunchi, Allie Is Wired, Faultline USA, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, Walls of the City, The World According to Carl, CORSARI D’ITALIA, High Desert Wanderer, and Gone Hollywood, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.
March 25, 2007 - 09:46 PM on March 25th, 2007
The demacrats should replace the donkey witha pig to repisent their porkers of the jackass party:razz:
March 25, 2007 - 09:47 PM on March 25th, 2007
Multicultural Nirvana..yea right.
Maybe if they got a nice beating, or their sister died in an honor killing like their “sisters in solidarity”they’d have the full experience eh.
…
March 25, 2007 - 10:24 PM on March 25th, 2007
Mean Mr. Couch Had His Way With Me…
…I’m embarrassed to say. I laid down about five this evening for a nap and the wife woke me up just in time for the girl’s bedtime. As groggy as I am when I wake up, luckily she put…
March 26, 2007 - 02:12 AM on March 26th, 2007
Two interesting sets of Global Warming statistics.
Statistics are notoriously fickle and unreliable. Some comedian once quipped that 97.3% of all statistics are meaningless. Indeed.
So of course Global Warming is filled with statistics that both sides make their cases with.
Consid…
March 26, 2007 - 02:32 AM on March 26th, 2007
The Thinking Blogger Award – A Gift and a Curse
I’ve been tagged with the Thinking Blogger Award by Debbie at Right Truth for “writing articles like no one else.”
March 26, 2007 - 05:18 AM on March 26th, 2007
Again, the media is hand in hand dishonest about this story.
March 26, 2007 - 05:45 AM on March 26th, 2007
The Knucklehead of the Day award
Today’s winner is Sergio Garcia.
March 26, 2007 - 05:52 AM on March 26th, 2007
Three bishops, one Duke, a President, 1 cardinal
For a simple Tacloban girl, my wife certainly gets around.
March 26, 2007 - 06:48 AM on March 26th, 2007
[...] Trackposted to The Virtuous Republic, Perri Nelson’s Website, third world county, basil’s blog, Shadowscope, DragonLady’s World, Blue Star Chronicles, Pirate’s Cove, The Pink Flamingo, Leaning Straight Up, High Desert Wanderer, Right Voices, and LaTogaStrappata®, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe. [...]
March 26, 2007 - 09:13 AM on March 26th, 2007
Protesters Burn Effigy of US Soldier
In Portland, OR 3/18, the anti-war crowd shows their true face. Chanting, bye, bye GI, in Iraq you’re gonna die!I’d question their patriotism…if they had any. Trackposted to The Virtuous Republic, Perri Nelson’s Website, A Blog For All, 123beta, M…
March 26, 2007 - 03:12 PM on March 26th, 2007
[...] Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, The Virtuous Republic, Perri Nelson’s Website, The Random Yak, Wake Up America, basil’s blog, Shadowscope, DragonLady’s World, Leaning Straight Up, The Amboy Times, The Bullwinkle Blog, Conservative Cat, Conservative Thoughts, LaTogaStrappata®, Pet’s Garden Blog, third world county, Allie Is Wired, stikNstein… has no mercy, The World According to Carl, Blue Star Chronicles, Overtaken by Events, Pirate’s Cove, The Pink Flamingo, Dumb Ox Daily News, High Desert Wanderer, Right Voices, and Gone Hollywood, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe. [...]
March 26, 2007 - 07:01 PM on March 26th, 2007
Encampment to Stop the War
“Never has so much nonsense been inflicted on so many by so few”.
March 27, 2007 - 11:48 AM on March 27th, 2007
Another Open Trackback Weekend
Wow, this week passed quickly! Time for another open trackback weekend, so have at it.
April 21, 2007 - 10:11 PM on April 21st, 2007
I just found your trackback from late March. My computer was down for a couple of weeks then but I did have an Open Trackback up for that time. I’m so sorry to miss this. I don’t know if its the trackbacks or I just failed to see them. I’ve added you, and again my apologies.
There’s some great information in your post. You have packaged their pork well. I’ll be back to read more.
Maggie
Maggie’s Notebook
April 22, 2007 - 07:39 AM on April 22nd, 2007
Thank’s Maggie:smile:
April 22, 2007 - 11:17 AM on April 22nd, 2007
“With our vote this week, we’re helping our troops, protecting our veterans, and fighting to end the waste, fraud and abuse,”said Hodes, delivering the Democrats’ weekly radio address.”
Waste, fraud, and abuse…hmmm…saying that with a straight face all the while knowing they loaded the bill with pork. Not only liars, but big liars. Goebbels would have blushed at the audacity of these Democrite liars. Stalin would have been proud and probably would have hired them to be his official Ministry of Truth.
Yet fools across America follow them, support them, vote for them…