pork sampler

[bga1]

This list of stimulus projects reminds me of the old game shows where you would win a shopping spree. They would tell the man or lady that he or she had won a 10 minute supermarket shopping spree and she would just tear up and down the aisles and toss as much stuff as she could find in the basket because price was no object and time was of the essense.

Some of the below projects are laudable and some not but what any of them are doing inthis package is beyond me. Why would these projects replace incentives to buy homes or cars. Why would they replace tax cuts or instant spending dollars?


<"The following measures in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act have not been included in this list based on any scale of worthiness but merely on whether they fit the definition given by the president of helping stimulate the economy in the next two years. The provisions were identified by FOX News readers prior to the final conference agreement, which is scheduled for votes in the House and Senate in the next two days

Tucked in among the vast construction projects and tax relief programs is an effort to revive a law that's been dead for over 60 years that would provide up to $198 million in pensions for Filipinos who fought alongside the U.S. during WWII. U.S. citizens would get $15,000 a year, but even non-citizens would still get $9,000 a year.

The bill also invests heavily in research and technology. NASA is set to receive $450 million for "Science" and another $200 million for "Aeronautics."

More than $28 billion is being provided to put kids in special education, Head Start and child care and development programs for disadvantaged children.

FOXNews.com readers pored over the package and found a host of expenditures that might not pump money in any time soon. What follows is a list of some of the more fascinating -- if less stimulating -- items in the bill:

-- $100 million for the Lead-Based Paint Hazard Control Grant Program
-- $200 million to the Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund Program
-- $300 million for "Violence Against Women Prevention and Prosecution Programs"
-- $900 million for the IRS for the "Limitation on Administrative Expenses"
-- $1 million for the Railroad Retirement Board for administrative costs
-- $2 billion for the Drinking Water State Revolving Act
-- $50 million for Health and Human Services to carry out injury prevention programs
-- $1.1 billion for studies on the effectiveness of different medical treatments -- $200 million to upgrade labs and facilities for the Department of Agriculture "to improve workplace safety and mission-area efficiencies"
-- $10 million for urban canal inspection
-- $16 billion to pay for student financial aid
-- $1 billion to pay for the U.S. Census
-- $600 million to pay for a fuel-efficient federal auto fleet
-- $650 million for the Digital Converter Box Program to help the constantly delayed transition from analog television
-- $485 million to the Forest Service for "hazardous fuels reduction and hazard mitigation activities in areas at high risk of catastrophic wildfire"
-- Up to $1 billion for "summer activities" for youths as old as 24
-- $40 million for the occupational research agenda
-- $3 billion for the Centers for Disease Control wellness programs and vaccinations
-- $410 million for Indian health facilities
-- $2.4 billion for carbon-capture demonstrations">

Obviously the source is Fox News, if there are other sources that are covering the actual contents of the stimulus package so that we can hold government accountable I would appreciate a lead or link to them.

[Schnoodler]

Yeah, most of those are not stimulus for sure. But be wary of the game. many of those may be necessary expenditures that had to lumped into some bill. We will have a census after all. And our canal system needs to be in good shape. And clearly updating our auto fleet is dead on for stimulus.

So just because it isnt' stimulus that doesn't make it unnecessary. I would prefer a seperate spending bill to deal with the other stuff just for good PR sake. Frankly I'm surprised the list is as short as it is. I'd like to see that list compared against other recent years, other recent W years.

[Gopher4Life]

Schnoodler,

>>So just because it isnt' stimulus that doesn't make it unnecessary.<<

This, we're told, is an emergency stimulus bill that requires immediate enactment according to the messiah. As such, it should exclude all questionable pork (commendable projects or not) and focus entirely on fixing specific problems that have taken down the economy. It should not be used as a vehicle for liberal causes, political paybacks, income redistribution, etc. Instead, this bill is loaded with pork and misses the point on economic recovery.

Obvious crisis. Flawed bill. Dems love it. Go figure.

[jamiche]

You guys are all fired up and ready to go!!

Hey beej: How come we never read any "pork sampler" posts from you when your hero was running the show? I guess from 1994 to 2006 there were no pork laden bills that came out of the repub congress.

[bga1]

Yeah, most of those are not stimulus for sure. But be wary of the game. many of those may be necessary expenditures that had to lumped into some bill. We will have a census after all. And our canal system needs to be in good shape. And clearly updating our auto fleet is dead on for stimulus.

So just because it isnt' stimulus that doesn't make it unnecessary. I would prefer a seperate spending bill to deal with the other stuff just for good PR sake. Frankly I'm surprised the list is as short as it is. I'd like to see that list compared against other recent years, other recent W years.

This is not nearly the full list of pork this is just the pork that seems like it has zero relationship to stimulus. We agree that some of these things may have merit, but that it would be nice to have them proposed separately from stimus items. These are the kind of disclosures that shake public confidence and make one think they are attempting to pull the wool over our eyes.

[bga1]

You guys are all fired up and ready to go!!

Hey beej: How come we never read any "pork sampler" posts from you when your hero was running the show? I guess from 1994 to 2006 there were no pork laden bills that came out of the repub congress.

There wasn't nearly as much pork being tossed before 9-11.

W wasn't proposing the pork. W's big thing- post 9-11 was the war on terror including Iraq and Afghanistan-which I agreed with. Everytime he put through a war appropriation bill he got billions in pork handed to him in the bill as payback. The Dems were okay to vote for war funding as long as they got theirs. Generally if you want to criticize how the pursestrings are being handled - look at Congress first.

By the way the Republicans were more than happy to join in at the pig feed and that's why they are no longer in office.

[Schnoodler]

agreed, but let's keep the argument on point. This should be a stimulus only bill, and that's the mistake. Let's be careful in playing the pork game, that's a different argument.

[bga1]

agreed, but let's keep the argument on point. This should be a stimulus only bill, and that's the mistake. Let's be careful in playing the pork game, that's a different argument.


Fair enough.

[diehard]

Let's remember this is not the budget. It's additional spending beyond a bloated budget. We are deep in the hole financially and can not afford to spend $$$ for items that do not provide effective stimulus to the economy. Total tax revenues will continue to drop as well. The President may end up having to increase defense spending if he isn't careful. He has Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, and who know what else on the back burner at a pre-boil. They (plus others) could all boil over at a moments notice. Our economy is our current #1 national security issue following by al-Queda, energy dependance on foreign sources, and open borders and illegal workers. Thank you President Bush.

"The fundamentals of the economy are strong." John McCain (it could be worse). I'm pretty sure we heard President Bush say the same thing.

[BornandRaisedGopher]

http://www.bbqaddicts.com/blog/recipes/bacon-explosion/

[BornandRaisedGopher]

http://www.eatmedaily.com/2009/02/bourdain-calls-three-little-pigs-sandwich-greatest-sandwich-in-america-video/

[Gopher4Life]

diehard,

>>"The fundamentals of the economy are strong." John McCain

McCain overstated this and failed to adequately explain himself. The "fundamentals" of our free enterprise system are still in place. McCain's goal was to maintain public confidence in our system rather than following the Dem's lead of undermining confidence...which, of course, directly led to Obama's victory.

>>(it could be worse).<<

We're being told today by Repubs, Dems, and pundits alike that the real problem in our economy is the lack of public confidence. Also, that the current "stimulus" bill really doesn't address that problem. Our economy could be worse. It could also be much better if we simply saw reason to believe in the corrective actions that are being proposed.

[Gopher4Life]

jamiche,

>>How come we never read any "pork sampler" posts from you when your hero was running the show?<<

But Obama was supposed to raise the bar for White House leadership. I expect so much more from Obama, don't you? He's the annointed one after all and "sent from Heaven" (Pelosi). Comparing such a skilled visionary to whatever came before him (a bumbling Bush) just doesn't cut it.