Pork Report, January 22, 2009: Bureaucrats Gone Wild Edition
by The Pork ReportBureaucrats gone wild! Taxpayers charged for international trysts, golf, skiing, and other government junkets
Military officials bought thousands of dollars worth of alcohol, food and other amenities for congressional overseas junkets
Delaware airport that “hardly ever sees a paying passenger” has received $12.3 million from the federal Airport Improvement Program for a runway construction project
Tennessee library pays for Rock Band video game session and Monday Night Football with a $5,000 federal Community Building Through Video Games in Libraries grant
Nearly five years after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Louisiana still looking for ways to spend one-third of the $13.4 billion leftover from the funds provided by the federal government for recovery efforts
Defense appropriations bill signed by President Obama contained 97 pages listing nearly 1,000 congressional earmarks costing billions of dollars
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57 Comments
After watching Glenn Beck's "The Revolutionary Holocaust" and reading this, I am in despair of the world ever getting it right.
It makes one believe in both good and evil….
The AIP funds going to an airport who serves almost exclusively General Aviation is in no way ridiculous. Runways and the technology accompanying them are very expensive and General Aviation makes up a gigantic sum of the aviation market.
To survive as a nation we must dismantle bureaucracy in our government. We must find a way to deconstruct the socialist structure that has been placed in our system to date, i.e. SSI, Medicare, Medicaid, EPA, all the billions of littles clones of ACORN, SEIU,….unfortunately I could go on forever. If these organizations stay in place, there will be no way we can take this country back to being a "limited government". We must also insist on our Representatives not to load bills with this pork. It is literally strangling us to the point of bankruptcy. We must reverse our course soon or we will never be able to turn back….and it may already be to late.
When a person fudges on expense and travel reports, the person is usually fired. Great incentive NOT to fudge. When bureaucrats do it, nobody cares. Great incentive TO fudge.
The solution is for business to take over the government. Accountablity, efficiency AND profits.
It's a win win peeps!
enough with the anti-semitic vitriol. You are a RACIST, and I have nothing but seething hatred for your kind. Die in a fire.
So, Jews are a race? Wouldn't that make Israel a racist country?
Time to enforce "high crimes and misdemeanors". Start with Pelosi. She is the worst of the offenders. Earmarks of any kind must be forbidden. Bribery is a "high crime".
anarchy is far better organized than the government we currently have inflicted on ourselves
The key to America's comback from the aybis will necessarliy come from the 'frog leaping out of boiling water backlash' of having an admittadly progressive government trying to snatch away out liberty. The Tea Party intensity is still very greatly underestimated in this country.
Another thing necessary will have to be the very methodology of the govrnment.
David Walker, the former head of the GAO recntly wrote a book called Comeback America: Turning the Country Around and Restoring Fiscal Responsibility,
Anybody who would vote on something they did not read is a traitor. Any elected official Who would try to perpetrate a fraud on the American people should be put on trail for dereliction of duty. As well as treason against the people.
God Bless America
Hi. You are right, the Tea Party people are wildly underestimated, but good, for now. We get to quietly send our money to conserative candidates, and there is no-one that anyone can point to. Brown got a ton of money from us directly in the last week leading up to his election, but he has smartly elected not to say anything in his public speeches to us or about us.
Wondering tonight about Bernake and what the "non-public information" about the AIG bailout that the Congressmembers are afraid about. They are waiting for the GAO report.
Sorry, that's spelled "conservative." Before I get called on it. Not sure I spelled the Fed Chief's name right either, but oh well.
You do realize how stupid that statement is, right?
No, they're an ethnicity first and foremost and a religion secondly. Also, how can a country be racist just because there is a majority of ethnicity? According to your rationale Africa must be overflowing with racism then.
I heard him talk about it on the radio and I am staying up for the replay since I missed the five o'clock show. Maybe his show will turn enough heads around that we can finally right this ship that is America before it hits the monstrous iceberg dead ahead. As Boz Scaggs once sang, "Danger there's a breakdown dead ahead, and baby you're in way above your head." I hope we have the resolve to hit the brakes and damn quick.
FONZ,
Are you a glutton for punishment or what? You should change your tag to "Thank you sir may I have another?"
While reading this article is truly gut-wrenching, it really comes as no surprise. Earmarks are an affront to States Rights, allocating advantages to one state over another, with all of the States fiscally responsible for the entire lump sum.The Union of States is our biggest weapon in the fight against big, bloated, corrupt Federal Government. States Rights have been emasculated by the 17th Amendment which took away direct election of Senators by the State Legislatures and put the vote to Popular Vote.
We, as people have representatives in the House of Representatives, the States were originally deemed to have representation by the Senators.When they no longer were responsible for the election of Senators, they lost their voice in the Federal Legislature.Senators of today are no more than the carpetbaggers of old, merely answering to their constituents(or their financiers)……………
……..This has allowed for the rise of PAC's and special interest groups of ecery stripe to wrest control away from the States. that the Constitution has been subverted, especially in the last hundred years, comes as no surprise to most, the devious results on our everyday lices is lost on many.We have to return to the Framers Original Intent. This will be extremely difficult in this day of activist judges and Presidents who will use Execytive Orders at their every whim. …………………… Hanzo
So what do we do about states like CA who have "progressive" state legistures? I would never have the opportunity to vote against Boxer or Feinstein if our US Sentors were appointed by the libs in Sacramento! There is some very good competition for Boxer's seat so I think she'll be going home this year, thank goodness. Unfortunately, I don't live in Pelosi's district so I could vote against her.
Your State Legislature is directly answerable to YOU. The reason we have carpetbaggers such as Boxer and Feinstein is because all of Government, from local to State to Federal have abandoned the Principles set forth in the original Constitution. The system, before the tampering that has gone on since the Civil War will work……………… Hanzo
Yes, I know that and agree 100%. I am informed and have voted in every election local, state and national. Unfortunately, until we can take back our state legislatures, let's not give them the power to appoint our US Senators. (We'd never get rid of Boxer or Feinstein!) Right now, at least I have a vote for US Senators! Trust me, people in CA are fed up (have been for several years) and trying our best but it's an uphill battle against the "progessives".
That's simply not true. If you vote the proper reps into your State Legislature in the begining, we wouldn't have that problem. The farther your representatives get away from you, the less answerable they are to you.You're not supposed to have a vote directly for US Senators anyway, they're supposed to represent your STATE, as the Founding Fathers intended. To pretend we know better than the Framers Original Intent is merely fallacy, this isn't a Democracy(which can degenerate into mob rule, the general populace, at times, being prone to volatility), our nation is a Federal Republic. The election of Senators to the Federal Legislature is part of the system of "Checks and Balances", as envisioned by the FF's. I understand your angst, but you must realise the reason we feel powerless is because the system has been adulterated………………… Hanzo
Then let the users of the airport pay for it. Or the town/county. Not everyone in the entire country.
Can't disagree with that.
I do believe that most of the hype about Mao, Che, Stalin etc. is due in large part to a press with an agenda instead of a press with the truth in mind. This should be a wake up call to everyone that the Department of Education needs to be closed or seriously revised to teach the truth and facts about the world instead of being the agenda driven monster it has become.
Oh, the Safe School Czar, Jennings should be jailed for being a pervert!
This idiot probably hates dentist too, as Steinfeld said, he is an anti dentite. He is not even aware that he could be lumped in with the KKK, Skin Heads & the new Black Pather movement.
Any time you single out a group based on religion, age, color or sexual orientation to be hated or treated differently is racism. Our treatment of Israel is based not only on mutual belief in religion but also they are the only friend we have in the entire middle east. Though at times this friendship is strained it is still better than any other country in the region.
I did think the Supreme Court with the ruling on corporations being able to donate to campaigns at least puts someone against the special interests. It would be better to go the other way with no one but individuals donating money with a cap on the amount.
I don't think we should cap the amount
I'm still not clear why BILLIONS of dollars to a foreign country that spies on us doesn't make this list but a few thousand dollars does.
It seems to me that most of the Federal bureaucracy should be unconstitutional. When the bureaucracy makes "rules", they are making de facto law. Congress is not authorized to delegate the making of law. At least not in my copy of the Constitution.
ANSWER: SIMPLE; TAKE OUR COUNTRY BACK FROM THE PROGRESSIVES (MARXIST)!
AND THAT WILL TAKE MONEY!
We need to dismantle industry specific unions and force unionization be become organized for specific causes and not special groups. One reason why government is so expansive is due to unions in government. Unions need to be broken for good. If there are specific causes that need to be addressed then unionization should be transformed supporting those causes. If workers a concerned about fair wages then create a Fair Wage Union, and a Fari Benefits Union and a Fair Saftey in the Workplace Union. These span all industries instead of targeted workers in a specific core group. Befin the process of removing big special interest from politics.
Video games for libraries grant?…………Seriously?…………How about a new bill that makes it legal for citizens to hit people in the head with a ball peen hammer when they steal our money for this kind of crap?
So…………100 million Republican taxpayers refusing to pay taxes would stop the commie libs. Think about it.
We are already bankrupt. Our Deficit is like an Over Drawn Check book. Our Debt is like an Over the Limit Charge Card. Income producing Assets: some have moved overseas, some are closing down (Steel Industries). Expenses are going up. Loans can not be paid back. Period. In addition, very few middle class peoples own their own property out-right, free & clear. Low income people(s) don't have a chance to own property in their own country….It would take an absolute Miracle to get out this Bind. European Wars happpened all of the time, in the past when Country A could not pay back the debt to Country B.
That's Right, and we are going to do it again!
Did the book mention anything about the "federal" Reserve Bank or its possible dissolution.?
To REV WRIGHT's comment about refusing to pay taxes. A fantasy I've entertained for years is the ability to direct, with the payment of my taxes, WHERE my taxes can be spent. I've often done this with my United Way contribution. Why not make that an option for taxpayers. To be certain, most would accept the default "General Fund" option, but if enough taxpayers chose to declare their taxes off limits for pork projects, the defense department, or whatever trips their trigger, the power would revert back to the people and not the Imperial Congress.
They do, that's how the AIP funding system works.
Flying off the handle at some beurocratic (probably made by some thin-wristed ninny who couldn't start a fire with paper and a match) sounds great in a pro-capitalist, Ayn Rand reason sort of way, however there is reality to contend with. If you want to see the freedom of General Aviation destroyed than by all means follow the example of NavCanada or the UK's imposition of user fees.
The only reason the United States has GA is because of the free market certification system and the AIP investment system where local users pay into a fund that is invested and the interest is used to fund projects in that same local area only and project ideas must meet very rigorous guidlines. These aren't willy nilly pork projects with free spending, imagine this next time you live in a small town and the state government doesn't want to fix your smashed up potholed two lane road, should only the people that live on your street pay for it? Could the road you can afford be safe? Or would you collect between the city of local residents, put that money into a fund, make a profit off that fund, and fix the cities road as necessary using the profits from that fund.
As a fellow conservative, how do you feel about someone flying off the handle about something they know nothing about?
Again, wtf mate? "Earmarks are an affront to States Rights" Who do you think puts those earmarks in? Who do you think vies for Federal funds? Your State representatives through the house and senate do. The states, are represented by OH GOSH politicians, and their job is to milk what they can from the giant teet of the federal hog. And believe it or not "conservative" styled politicians do the same thing. This drunken spending spree we find ourselves on is nothing new, and it didn't pause for a second when Reagan was in the white house. Earmarks get reelection, and with never ending term limits we can enjoy being the liver of our States continuous drinking binge.
Have you thought about learning about the topic at hand before being so against it? Maybe even figured out the name of the airport. Maybe even called the tower, which is surely listed and asking whoever picks up… in your opinion, does your airport need a new runway? Maybe it truely does, and if it doesn't and if the runway is meant to accomodate Nancy Pelosi's private jet given to her by G.W. then by all means get as P.Oed as you want.
Everyone spies on everyone. The game is called intelligence.
Read my comments again, doucheface. You're not telling any one shit, moron. All you want to do is try to disagree with everyone.Armchair troll, better screen name for you……………………Hanzo
It is really is quite simple somebody needs to be qualified to do a job, and if they are not they need to pick a different profession. They work for us period. If it seems wrong to ask them to do their job that voters put them there to do, that to me seems a little absurd. To me that is based on reality.
look at the latest polls, Boxer is worried…
I'm not real sure of your pont here….if our country operated under the true Original Intent of the Framers, you'd probably never have heard of Boxer, or virtually any other "liberal" pol. Our nation is, by and large, a Conservative nation. If we had 100%(or even 60%) turnout at the polling places on election day, we would be just fine. As it is, with high rates of voter apathy, "carpetbaggers" like Boxer, et al, sneak in under the radar as a result of campaigns that are heavily financed by special interests. If our State Legislatures still voted for their Senators, and Senators are supposed to represent the States, their would be no voter apathy, as I stated above. As I also commented before, to assume we know better than the FF's is ludicrous. They put into place a perfect system of checks and balances, which have been greatly adulterated over the years. Boxer and the other clowns are a direct result of the general populace(popular vote) being delegated this Right that was intended for the States …….. Hanzo
No there are some great comments and ideas on here. Just not yours. This 10th grade diatribe is against the system you are aparty to and against politicians you help elect. If you're so power to we the people why wouldn't you want senators answering to their constituents?
Diatribe. Ha ha, your dross verbiage is chock full of asinine pap and regurgitated pablum. Why don't I want Senators answering to their constituents(but mostly special interests, just as you said)? You are a f''in idiot. Can't you read, a-hole? We, the people, are supposed to abide by the Constitution, ever hear of it?The system of checks and balances, as set up by the FF's, who believe it or not, f''in egomaniac, were MUCH more intelligent than you, required that the States vote for their own representation, in the form of Senators, numbnuts.I suppose you didn't know the 17th Amendment, which took away the States Right to elect the Senators to the Federal Legislature, was passed in 1913, NOT by the FF's.Read the Constitution, study history, true history, not left-wing moonbat revisioinist or nut job conspiracy revisionist history, jackass. Try to bring a valid point to the table next time, now go back to mommy's basement and re-think your life, perfesser…………………………. Hanzo
A great deal of that stupidity emanates from yourself. You engage in hyperbole, trying to speak for others, as if you know what someone is thinking, and then spewing forth inane, obtuse arguments as if you make a great deal of sense(not). Stop for a minute and consider what someone else is thinking, or , here's a novel idea for you, try to commit yourself to useful dialogue before you render a snap judgement. At most your posts are usually condescending, at least they are inane drivel on the most idiotic level……………………. Hanzo
Take your own advice…………………..Hanzo
Read a piece of legislation, then make that same comment with your head pulled out of you know where. Legislators have more than one or two bills to pass. Bills are complicated, long, and full of legalize, congressmen pay people to read and analyze changes in legislation and who they would effect, then they read those reports, make decisions, and have lawyers change the wording as they see fit. This disconnect from reality ("Anybody who would vote on something they did not read is a traitor") is exactly why liberals paint such a portrait of conservatives as complete idiots with overalls. Think clearly, accept reality, and shape what you can based on reality.
With all the general stupidity in here, it needs to be realized that we conservatives are doing half the liberals job for them. The game will change when conservatives stop flying off the handle, think for a minute, and realize that we and our leaders too aren't wearing any pants.
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