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Oink Oink - Pork in Government - 10/20/2008 4:54:04 PM   
BitaTruble


Posts: 9779
Joined: 1/12/2006
From: Texas
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2008 Pig Book

Where's the Pork? .. um, I mean Congressionally directed spending?

(page 4)$7,556,660 for grape and wine research
(page 47) $14,878,000 for the International Fund for Ireland - includes funding for a restaurant that no longer exists .. WTF?
(page 53) $98,000 to develop a walking tour of Boydton, VA - population: 474 and covers .82 miles. I walk further to my mail box. Think I can get $98,000?

Page 55 has Porker awards and Page 56 of the report has a breakdown by state for Porkers.

Obama's Illinois ranks #36 (was #31 last year)
Arizona has the best record coming in dead last for pork spending (was ranked #20 last year, so last year, pork good.. this year, pork bad - wonder what changed?)

Don't get me wrong, some of this stuff you'll read is pretty important and should be funded so taking a hatchet to it is probably not the right thing to do, but if you are going to be voting in the coming elections, please, please do some research and see if your state reps deserves your vote. Remember, this is money that we all pay .. not money that comes out of the individual state coffers and personally, I really don't want $98,000 going to places like Boydton. If I visit there some day, I'm willing to take my chances that I can walk all by myself sans tour guide.

I've researched my state reps and they don't deserve my vote, so out they go!

< Message edited by BitaTruble -- 10/20/2008 4:56:44 PM >


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RE: Oink Oink - Pork in Government - 10/20/2008 5:06:53 PM   
Irishknight


Posts: 2016
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I am voting against all encumbents.  They all need to be replaced.

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RE: Oink Oink - Pork in Government - 10/20/2008 5:10:32 PM   
pahunkboy


Posts: 33061
Joined: 2/26/2006
From: Central Pennsylvania
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well then its good the government has cut spending to the bone.  Now we can reform military spending.

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RE: Oink Oink - Pork in Government - 10/20/2008 5:23:14 PM   
corysub


Posts: 1492
Joined: 1/1/2004
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quote:

ORIGINAL: pahunkboy

well then its good the government has cut spending to the bone.  Now we can reform military spending.


We should add back some of those 8 divisions that Clinton cut.  Rumsfeld thought we could win with a lean and mean military with the best equipment in the world, but nothing replaces "boots on the ground" as General Petraeus and Secty. Gates have proven.

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RE: Oink Oink - Pork in Government - 10/20/2008 5:23:59 PM   
kittinSol


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quote:

ORIGINAL: BitaTruble
(page 4)$7,556,660 for grape and wine research


Snatching that one - thank you very much  .

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RE: Oink Oink - Pork in Government - 10/20/2008 5:31:30 PM   
bestbabync


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Thank you for this link Bita!

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RE: Oink Oink - Pork in Government - 10/20/2008 6:10:06 PM   
Termyn8or


Posts: 18681
Joined: 11/12/2005
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Portugal Bita ? Well at least you are keeping an eye on what happens over here.

In Ohio US we had this congressman named Jim Trafficant. I saw him standing up in congress bitching about an appropriation in the hundreds of thousands for researchuing the mating habits of a tse tse fly. He used to use the term "Beam me up Scotty" implying of course that there was no intelligent life on this planet.

Trafficant's problem is that he had a somewhat sordid history, although they could never nail him on anything he did in his official capacity, he sits in jail now over some bookkeeper who sent check evey month out of his funds to a certain lawyer.

He ran a farm and took the young there, and they learned to buoild and work. They investigated the farm ad infinitum but could find no malfeasance. They looked at his record, his associates and just about everything he did and found nothing. At his own trial he said straight up "You have had all my phones tapped for how many years ? and you don't even have one minute of evidence ?" . Eventually they got him, and I think they got someone dirty (to him) into his organisation because his conviction was based on monthly checks disbursed from his office for fifteen hundred dollars a month, to a law firm.

Talk about railroaded. Trafficant was cool, even with his sordid past, once elected he pretty much did his job. They did not like that. I know why, the guy who got $400,000 to study the mating habits of the tse tse fly was somone's nephew or something. Blood is thicker than water, and apparently thicker than loyalty to our country.

Trafficant was railroded, of that there is no doubt. His history is worse than mine, but what he did in office was all good and in fact the people of Youngstown Ohio were thinking of reelecting him while he still sat in prison !. He was always for the common Man, and trying to make common sense to congress, but they just don't like that.

They watched each and every financial transaction Trafficant made, and could not get him on anything, even conflict of interest. But those checks, which he didn't even write nor authorize screwed him.

I am going to say it, if you want this country back you need to know two things. First of all we are not playing with kids, these MFs know exactly what they are doing and how to do it. Secondly, they are alot smarter than they look. You look at the media and of course they look stoooooopid, but they are not. They know EXACTLY what they are doing and if you aren't prepared, you too will be crushed, possibly sent to prison like Trafficant.

We need time to let the ol boy network break down a bit more, then we go for the throat. In fact even a revolution would not work right now, they are too strong. Hard to believe but true. Give it a decade, and you might see something happen like in The Turner Diaries. It doesn't have to be racial, but it is coming, and I will welcome all those who fight on our side of any race. There are cracks in the system now, but they have to grow to the point where we can exploit them and get rid of these thieves. Not an easy process.

They hate Ron Paul as well because he bucks the system, but he is ever so squeaky clean that they just can't get anything on him. If I could get Ron Paul elected President, I would foist Trafficant on him as a VP, they would not likely like each other, but I think they would find common goals. Get rid of the pork.

Just pipe dreaming I guess, now where is that pipe ?

T


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RE: Oink Oink - Pork in Government - 10/20/2008 6:27:31 PM   
rulemylife


Posts: 14614
Joined: 8/23/2004
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: BitaTruble

2008 Pig Book

Where's the Pork? .. um, I mean Congressionally directed spending?

(page 4)$7,556,660 for grape and wine research
(page 47) $14,878,000 for the International Fund for Ireland - includes funding for a restaurant that no longer exists .. WTF?
(page 53) $98,000 to develop a walking tour of Boydton, VA - population: 474 and covers .82 miles. I walk further to my mail box. Think I can get $98,000?

Page 55 has Porker awards and Page 56 of the report has a breakdown by state for Porkers.

Obama's Illinois ranks #36 (was #31 last year)
Arizona has the best record coming in dead last for pork spending (was ranked #20 last year, so last year, pork good.. this year, pork bad - wonder what changed?)

Don't get me wrong, some of this stuff you'll read is pretty important and should be funded so taking a hatchet to it is probably not the right thing to do, but if you are going to be voting in the coming elections, please, please do some research and see if your state reps deserves your vote. Remember, this is money that we all pay .. not money that comes out of the individual state coffers and personally, I really don't want $98,000 going to places like Boydton. If I visit there some day, I'm willing to take my chances that I can walk all by myself sans tour guide.

I've researched my state reps and they don't deserve my vote, so out they go!


I used to get upset over a lot of this because much of it is a blatantly stupid waste of money.

The reality is, though, that incumbents get re-elected based on what they have done for their district or state.  That's why 90% of people polled view Congress unfavorably but the same 90% believe their Congressman or Senator is just doing a swell job.

The reality too is, while it's fun to point out the stupidity, earmarks amount to less than 1% of the federal budget. 

(in reply to BitaTruble)
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RE: Oink Oink - Pork in Government - 10/20/2008 6:47:17 PM   
BitaTruble


Posts: 9779
Joined: 1/12/2006
From: Texas
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: rulemylife

I used to get upset over a lot of this because much of it is a blatantly stupid waste of money.

The reality is, though, that incumbents get re-elected based on what they have done for their district or state.  That's why 90% of people polled view Congress unfavorably but the same 90% believe their Congressman or Senator is just doing a swell job.

The reality too is, while it's fun to point out the stupidity, earmarks amount to less than 1% of the federal budget. 


All true! I want to make it really clear that I have no problem with earmarks per se .. it really is the dumb stuff which gets to me because it's such a waste that really could be better spent. How many hot meals could $98,000 buy for kids that go to bed hungry? How many books we could get for that price? Hell, we could just reduce the deficit by $98,000. I know it's a drop in the bucket, but you put enough drops into a bucket and it may take a long time, but it will fill up.

What bothers me more than stupid earmarks are the fact that the executive branch has almost no oversite on the money that is approved by Congress. Once approved presidential appointees can pretty much steer it anywhere the administration wants it to go .. and it's up to the executive branch on whether or not it's transparent.  For some reason, they don't want to call those earmarks.

I have long felt that the system of checks and balances failed to include the most valuable watchdog among us .. which is .. us. I only get to check the executive branch every 4 years and the Supreme Court I never, ever get to check .. some balance.

Don't mind me, rulemylife .. Himself is in Portugal this week so I don't have any checks and balances on me right now either so I have the opportunity to run 'hog' wild .. you know .. like Congress. ::chuckles::

_____________________________

"Oh, so it's just like
Rock, paper, scissors."

He laughed. "You are the wisest woman I know."


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RE: Oink Oink - Pork in Government - 10/20/2008 8:08:38 PM   
subfever


Posts: 2895
Joined: 5/22/2004
Status: offline
Never to fear. The PTB will have you all out venting your steam and voting for the lesser of two evils... once again.

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RE: Oink Oink - Pork in Government - 10/20/2008 8:33:02 PM   
Vendaval


Posts: 10297
Joined: 1/15/2005
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Great link and information, thanks Celeste!
 
I like this entry on page 24 -
"One of the more astounding aspects of the 2008 Defense
Appropriations Act is the 62 projects worth $2.3 billion that were undisclosed"


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RE: Oink Oink - Pork in Government - 10/20/2008 8:37:33 PM   
NuevaVida


Posts: 6707
Joined: 8/5/2008
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: BitaTruble
(page 4)$7,556,660 for grape and wine research


And the problem is...?

Do NOT take away my wine!! 

Cool link, sweetie, thanks!

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RE: Oink Oink - Pork in Government - 10/20/2008 8:43:31 PM   
snappykappy


Posts: 616
Joined: 3/5/2005
Status: offline
this is a good one

$7,556,660 for grape and wine research. Wine is a popular beverage.
In fact, in 2006, per capita U.S. wine consumption was 2.39 gallons
while the U.S. exported 404.5 million liters of wine. Total wine
sales in 2006 were $27.8 billion. There is no pressing need for taxpayers
to pay for this research.

or how bout this one

$3,737,652 for six projects by Senate Agriculture Appropriations
Subcommittee member Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), including: $1,646,394
for the McDowell Grove Dam Rood Plain/Wetlands Restoration
Project in DuPage County; $107,244 for wildlife habitat improvement;
and $36,741 for conservation science at Lincoln Park Zoo. This
“free” zoo was established in 1868 after a pair of swans were given
to the Lincoln Park Commissioners. Today, the zoo can be rented
out for weddings, picnics, corporate events, and holiday parties.

and another one

$3,097,167 for shrimp aquaculture research in seven states by Senate
Appropriations Committee RankingMember Thad Cochran (R-Miss.),
House appropriator Ed Pastor (D-Ariz.), and Reps. Raul Grijalva
(D-Texas), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), and Richard Neal (D-Mass.).
In the past, USDA has testified that, “The goal of this program is
to develop a sustainable domestic shrimp farming industry in the
United States.” The timeline for this achievement appears to be
indefinite. Since 1985, $68.7 million has been appropriated for
this research.

what the hell are mormon crickets

$1,769,526 for five projects by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid
(D-Nev.), including: $1,117,125 for mormon crickets; $365,424
for the Nevada arid rangelands initiative; and $36,741 for weed
management.

i just say do away with ear marks and pork bellies and the senators and
representatives who want them

(in reply to NuevaVida)
Profile   Post #: 13
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