Comments on: Congress Gives Alaska "Ferry To Nowhere"
Washington Post: Senator Secures $20M Earmark For "Expeditionary Craft" To Rural Peninsula
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- Our politicians realize that they get votes which helps them get re-elected when they "bring home the bacon." That forces the politicians to secure earmarks for their respective districts. As cockamamie as some of these projects may sound to you and I, in the district/community where the money is going, it is perfectly appreciated! No political party would be willing to stop this gravy train!
Posted by USAyesterday at 03:40 PM : Dec 21, 2007
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Exactly;
That was the point of my comment
Posted by jn122736
Which brings us back to term limits and publicly financed elections. - Reply to this comment
- Everyone:
Who would you vote for... (honestly)...
... a politician who promises to fund (whatever) project in your community, (new school busses, new schools, etc.)...
OR... a politician who does not fund ANY project in your community.
Our politicians realize that they get votes which helps them get re-elected when they "bring home the bacon." That forces the politicians to secure earmarks for their respective districts. As cockamamie as some of these projects may sound to you and I, in the district/community where the money is going, it is perfectly appreciated! No political party would be willing to stop this gravy train!
Posted by USAyesterday at 03:40 PM : Dec 21, 2007
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Exactly;
That was the point of my comment - Reply to this comment
- Oh wait! It''''s spelled FERRY! Whew! For a moment there I thought this was another Larry Craig story!
Never mind.
Posted by SgtRDS at 03:27 PM : Dec 21, 2007
+ report abus
Hi Sarge merry Christmas - Reply to this comment
- Posted by USAyesterday at 03:40 PM : Dec 21, 2007
You are right but really shouldn''t they use honest discretion on the needs they must have, some of these earmarks are quite laughable - Reply to this comment
- ron paul, the man with no last name, is the olny canidate who has a firm hand on his hot dog in the race. He doesn%u2019t even have a clue about fiscal responsiblity and his records should be how they are judged by the lies and deception in his crouch His backers are treasonous for the lack of substance this is not a mistake it is intentional pork handleing and is just a long line of his criminal activitys otherwise know as buisness as usual olny a total overhaul can save us. Ron Paul is not one of them feces throwing monkeys!!!do some research and you will see alot of alarming zoo facts. they are all on the same side of lining their pockets except paul who took a banana instead. Look it up main stream media people this is our last chance for our children to see a monkey in congress gone wild.
- Reply to this comment
- "How many years of service"?
Brilliant. Just never gonna move past the "gotcha" questions, huh?
I don''t believe "service" is actively working to subvert the US Constitution and advance the authoritarian aims of the Republican Party while wearing the uniform of an American soldier.
That doesn''t describe you, does it?
I''ll bite though. Frankly I''d give you my military and civilian resume of "service" but it would just embarrass you. And even if I was newly sworn in citizen just this morning that''s enough to have a say in how things are being run in this country, regardless of your opinion.
I''m sorry, what were you saying about bi-partisanship speakinup? Because I''m having a hard time hearing having spent the last 7+ years being called a traitor, idiot, coward and moron by the mudroses and Hwy71Sos of the world - especially given the extra special lunacy, irrationality and failure these folks have brought us. - Reply to this comment
- Seems that the ferry does indeed lead to nowhere. But only for now, right? I mean, they want the connection to the peninsula in order to develop it. Correct? Don''t we regularly do this in other parts of the country? I have no land or relatives in Alaska and no stake in the issue, I''m just curious.
- Reply to this comment
- Everyone:
Who would you vote for... (honestly)...
... a politician who promises to fund (whatever) project in your community, (new school busses, new schools, etc.)...
OR... a politician who does not fund ANY project in your community.
Our politicians realize that they get votes which helps them get re-elected when they "bring home the bacon." That forces the politicians to secure earmarks for their respective districts. As cockamamie as some of these projects may sound to you and I, in the district/community where the money is going, it is perfectly appreciated! No political party would be willing to stop this gravy train! - Reply to this comment
- ron paul is the olny canidate who has a firm handle on the solutions.none of the other dogs in the race even have a clue about fiscal responsiblity and their records should be how they are judged not the lies and deception in crunch time.this media like the rest are treasonis for the lack of substance this is not a mistake it is intentional!pork barreling is just a long line of criminal activitys otherwise know as buisness as usual olny a total overhaul can save us now.ron paul is not one of them!!!do some research and you will see alot of alarming facts.they are all on the same side of lining their pockets except paul look it up main stream media is always takin care of by these traders wake up people this is our last chance for our children
- Reply to this comment
- Oh wait! It''s spelled FERRY! Whew! For a moment there I thought this was another Larry Craig story!
Never mind. - Reply to this comment
- The problem with the vast majority of voters is that all congrespersons are cprrupt and need voting out; except the ones from their state.
- Reply to this comment
- Everyone of these congressional bums needs to go. I agree that maybe the ferry was needed, but then the issue can and should stand up on its own in Congress as a legitimate expenditure. It should not be manipulated through as a pork barrel item regardless of the compromised cost reduction.
- Reply to this comment
- Yeah... those Katrina victims along the Gulf Coast sure didn''t need THIS money... nahhh they don''t need a penny at all anymore. They got life real good now... no problems there anymore.
Smell the sarcasm in the above statement?
You know it''s true...
;) - Reply to this comment
- So, jumkey, how many years have you spent in active service to this country?
- Reply to this comment
- Charging RICO Counts
A RICO charge where the predicate acts consist only of state offenses will not be approved except in the following circumstances:
Local law enforcement officials are unlikely to investigate and prosecute otherwise meritorious cases in which the Federal government has significant interest;
Significant organized crime involvement exists; or
The prosecution of significant political or governmental individuals may pose special problems for local prosecutors.
He qualifies. - Reply to this comment
- Yes, the Ketchikan Bridge was to "nowhere" but the bridge and now ferry from Anchorage is a needed connection. Look at a map. You will see the necessity. And, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough isn''t what would be deemed "remote" by Alaska standards. It''s a large populated area that is essentially the "suburb'' of Anchorage. Try commuting 2 hours sometime in driving snow, darkness and freezing temperatures. A bridge/ferry changes that commute to a safe and shorter one.
However there are more equitable and transparent means in which to get needed projects done besides using earmarks; grants through the federal government. If representatives want to see projects done then they should support funding to federal agencies that disperse those funds. This is an accountable and transparent process.
BUT OH NO - but that means "more government" - Yep more government means more accountability. Maybe the folks to push for "less government" are really about less accountability - hence, earmarks. Which one do you want? Next time you hear %u201Cless government,%u201D remember that means your tax dollars are less accountability. - Reply to this comment
- and where is all this money coming from??
- Reply to this comment
- Had to go away for a bit Micma - Merry Christmas to you too.
Hope you get a chance to see this - Feel like I met a kindred spirit I didn''t know existed until today. - Reply to this comment
- Well said. That''''s exactly what they want. The ideological squabbles are just bones they throw to us. They watch us squabble over this silly *** while they rip us off and run up the national credit card. We''''re all on the same sinking ship. Soon the interest on the national debt will eat up much of the taxes we pay.
Posted by micma at 12:52 PM : Dec 21, 2007
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micma; your comment, although true, is a gross understatement.
Consider the following:
The $555 billion annual "omnibus" spending bill approved by Congress this week and the $459 billion defense bill passed last month collectively contain more than 11,000 earmarks, despite Democrats'' vow to use their first year in the majority to slash the number of such pet projects
Interest actually paid on national debt over the past three years:
2007 $429,977,998,108.20
2006 $405,872,109,315.83
2005 $352,350,252,507.90
Total=$1,188,200,359,931.93
The above listed Interest on the debt exceeds the total of both spending bills recently approved, including those earmarks.
Interest on the national debt is fast approaching $1/2 trillion per year EVERY year, and that doesn%u2019t reduce the debt one cent. - Reply to this comment
- speakinup
Merry Christmas. I''m out. - Reply to this comment
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