Wasteful Government Spending

The first Bill that I cringed at was a piece of legislation passed for Hawaii and Guam. Rep. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), and Rep. Madeline Bordallo (D-Guam) requested $1,200,000 for two projects to deal with Brown Snake Tree Control. Since 1996, $14.6 million has been earmarked in both Hawaii and Guam for the purpose of Brown Snake Tree Control. Whats next? Are our Representatives going to earmark a Bill for Great White Ocean Control? Useless spending. Thats all this is. Are the Brown Snakes of Hawaii and Guam a threat issue? Why not use the $14.6 million that has been allotted to Hawaii and Guam over the past 13 years for something more efficient. Why not invest this money in a program for early education for the children of this nation. They are our future.

$50k to replace trees. In fiscal year 2009, Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-Mich) asked for $50k to replace trees. No, these trees were not in a federal park or even disaster area. These trees were in River Rouge, Michigan. United States Census shows that River Rouge, Michigan is a town of less than 10,000 people. With all federal government expenditures, the question is “Why should a taxpayer in California pay to replace trees in Michigan?” How would Representative Kilpatrick answer this question?

Military spending receives a large amount of attention. Usually, the attention is on spending for the Iraq war. This story is not about war spending but about spending on an access road. Representative Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) joined Senators Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) and Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) in requesting $30 million. The $30 million will be spent on Phase Five of an access road at Pohakuloa Training Area. Phases One through Four have already cost $74.4 million. Now that is wasteful government spending.

Veterans benefits and military spending have received a large amount of attention. Our military veterans deserve the best benefits money can buy. This spending story has nothing to do with veterans benefits. It is about a request for money to build a dining hall. Representative Louise Slaughter joined then Senator Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) in requesting $9 million to build a dining hall at Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station.

Another example of wasteful government spending comes from Ames, Iowa. Swine farms give off a large amount of odor. I am sure most people would agree that pigs can be stinky. Would they label this a problem for the federal government? Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) would. He recently requested #1.791 million to research odor management for pigs. That gives new meaning to “pork barrel spending”.

Now I can call Bull when I see it. We seriously have to spend 1.8 million to find out why swine manure stinks? Thats ridiculous. Has anyone took the initiative to study the human feces to see if we excrete nutrients. If the time was taken to study this then they would more then likely determine that humans excrete nutrients in their feces as well. Also, as for odor control, we as humans, have invented the toilet. Why not spend this money on creating a sanitary way to not only dispose of the swine manure, but it would also act to control the odor. There is no reason to do a study on why manure has an odor. It always has and always will. Thats part of anatomy. Lets spend this money on something more important, like finding homes for all the children who are abandoned at birth and given up for adoption of just left out on the Hospitals doorstep.

As a final thought I would like to leave you with a segment from the 2009 Pig Book. It is under the Department of Defense. And I find this spending to be outlandishly ridiculous. $465,000,000 for the continued development of the F-136 engine as an alternative engine in the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program. The JSF is 55 billion dollars over its budgeted cost according to the Government Accountability Office. Congress has added funding for an additional engine in order to supposedly increase competition and flexibility for pilots, despite the fact that the winning engine had prevailed in a half dozen public and private competitions, and despite the fact that no other part of the plane would be competed once production commenced. CBS News reported on July 30,2007, that the Air Force and two independent panels concluded that the second engine is not necessary and not affordable, and that the professed savings from competition will never be achieved.

A total of 100 Senators and 435 Representatives have refused to be associated with this bill by remaining anonymous. Hint, hint, anyone? If the officials we have elected are hiding their voices and not wanting to be tagged with this, then why has the millions of dollars even been allotted for these mind blowing bills? $465 million for competition level engines? I urge you to pick up the phone, call your local Representative, and let them know how utterly disgusted you are with the way taxpayer’s dollars are being spent.

INJUSTICE! Limbaugh dropped from bid to buy Rams

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Radio talkshow host Rush Limbaugh has
been dropped by the group bidding to buy the St. Louis Rams.

The effort to thwart Limbaugh’s participation in the bid was led mostly
by liberals who don’t like his political views.

So much for free speech.

The Plan That Keeps On Planning

by Jennifer McClelland

The President admitted he is also not pleased with the progress we’re seeing so far, demonstrating that his administration will be fast tracking the strategy detailed in the stimulus plan, eager to give another flicker of hope to Americans who are incensed, at the very least, with the shape of the economy. The Obama administration also claimed that they have so far only spent $44 billion, or 5 percent, of the $787 billion stimulus package, the largest economic stimulus in American history, and arguably one of the largest financial bills in American history.

Obama says that, “we’re in a spot to really speed up.” He reiterated his guarantee to generate or save 600,000 jobs by the conclusion of the summer, a claim that will never be verifiable. This is just a “repackaging” of old promises and a rejuvenation of old projects, but hopefully the renewed sense of urgency will be enough to make President Obama’s plans and projects effective.

1.6 billion Americans have lost their jobs since the economic stimulus plan was signed in February, making the White House estimations they have still saved 150,000 jobs rather bleak in comparison. The Obama administration has admitted for the first time that they were too overly optimistic in the forecasting they used to sell the stimulus package to Congress. Jared Bernstein, Vice President Biden’s financial adviser, commented, “At the time, our estimate seemed logical. At this time, looking back, it was obviously too positive. Experts consider the administration is still being idealistic and that any job formation will be the result of luck by itself and not at the great scale he predicts.

Opponents of the stimulus plan have argued ever since the President’s inaugural ceremony that the stimulus package cannot work out at all, in spite of of forecasting, due to ‘pork barrel’ projects that have been incorporated in the bill and the fact that the federal budget does not include the money it takes to fund the enterprise. Obama is now trying to restore the country’s belief in the measures he has taken. He commented, “We’ve done more than ever, faster than ever, more reliably than ever, to get the gears of the economy moving once more. I’m not happy. We’ve got more work to do.” Americans seemingly agree, and think he has not done an adequate amount. Obama’s disapproval rating concerning the economy rose from 30% to 42%, nearly overnight.

Obama: I Do Not Deserve Nobel Peace Prize

Really, Captain Obvious? Please, tell us something we don’t know.

It seems to me that this proves what we have known all along. The Nobel
people are nothing but a bunch of leftist partisan hacks.

I was more surprised that there were liberals who were asking why he was
awarded with the prize.

However, it comes as little surprise to me that after the American
electorate awards Obama with the Presidency; despite his having no
experience or accomplishments to speak of, that a bunch of leftists
would award Obama with such a prize, despite his having done nothing to
earn it.