Nov. 5, 2006
Rep. Flake On Cutting Congressional Pork
Arizona Congressman Is A Fierce Opponent Of Earmarks
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Buried In The Fine Print
Arizona Congressman Jeff Flake wants to stop his House colleagues from showering their political districts with money he feels is misspent. Morley Safer has more details.
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Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) (CBS)
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As correspondent Morley Safer reports, past examples include the $223 million "bridge to nowhere" in Alaska, which almost got approved, and half a million for a teapot museum in North Carolina, which did.
This story is about one congressman’s mission to end earmarks that has pitted him against the House, in particular against members of his own party.
"Everyone bears some blame here but Republicans are going to be blamed disproportionately. And then I have to say we deserve it, because we’ve been in charge," says Rep. Jeff Flake, a conservative Republican from Arizona.
On weekends at his home outside Phoenix, you can find him on the trampoline with his kids. But back in Washington, you’ll find him on the floor of the House, trying to bounce some earmarks out of the federal budget, but with much less success.
"This process of challenging earmarks on the floor is often described as tilting at windmills, so I suppose it is only proper that we start today with an earmark for the wind demonstration project," Flake says on the floor of the House.
Rep. Flake is challenging $6 million for windmills to generate power on military bases, $500,000 for a swimming pool in Banning, Calif., $1 million to promote tourism in Kentucky, $750,000 for a new building at the Los Angeles County Fair, $1.5 million for a William Faulkner Museum in Mississippi. And he challenges a particularly mysterious item: $600,000 for the Center of End of Life Electronics in West Virginia.
It sounds like something that might have something to do with either euthanasia or capital punishment and it was a mystery to the congressman as well: "We had a hard time. We thought it was computers for seniors. It wasn’t. It was basically mining the parts that are still usable out of old computers," Rep. Flake explains.
In essence, the center would recycle parts.
As they work their way through Congress, earmarks are so shrouded in secrecy you often can’t tell who benefits from them, who sponsors them, or why.
"The vast majority of them we have no idea. Sometimes you’ll see a press release when somebody’s taking a victory lap. Some of them don’t want anyone to know ever that they got that earmark, other than the lobbyist that they got it for," Flake tells Safer.
It’s a process the Founding Fathers warned us about from the very beginning.
"Jefferson actually was very prescient about it and said it was gonna be a mad scramble to see who can waste the most money in their state," explains Leslie Paige, who studies the workings of Congress for the non-partisan group Citizens Against Government Waste. For lawmakers, she says, earmarks serve another function: you show me yours, I’ll show you mine.
"You want me to vote for your Medicare bill? What do you want for it? You know? And that actually has happened, where there’s been a lot of log rolling and horse trading to get bills through that they can’t get through any other way," she explains.
On the floor of the House, Jeff Flake has managed to smoke out the authors of a few earmarks. But as you might expect, his efforts have gotten him in trouble with just about everybody.
"Doggone it, I’m not gonna let somebody stand up here in total and complete ignorance and spout off a bunch of gobbledygook," Rep. Curt Weldon fired at his fellow Republican.
Weldon of Pennsylvania let Flake have it for questioning $4 million to help the rotorcraft industry. "Don’t stand up on the floor and make stupid allegations because you want a headline about cutting waste. This is not waste," Weldon argued.
Produced By David Browning
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See all 64 CommentsTo quote John Adams, "Great is the guilt of an unnecessary war."
Mormans make me a little uneasy, (not sure why)Republicans make me a lot uneasy but for the first time I feel the need to contribute money to a politicians career, Mr. Flakes career. I hope he stays the course and keeps
Too bad he is not running for president.
I would vote for him in a moment notice.
Arizona Congressman Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) says he wants to stop his House colleagues from showering their political districts with money he feels is misspent. ==
THAT IS A LAUDABLE PURSUIT BUT ONLY IF IT PUTS AT THE TOP OF THE WASTE PILE THE BILLIONS OF OUR TAX DOLLARS THAT THIS LYING ADMINISTRATION HAS WASTED IN IRAQ. ==
IT IS OBSCENE TO MENTION MONEY BEFORE THE LOST LIVES OF OUR SOLDIERS IN IRAQ. BUT MONEY SEEMS TO BE THE HIGHEST PRIORITY OF THIS REPUBLICAN MISADMINISTRATION. ==
You will likely read labels such as Defeatist, or platitudes like Cut and Run. But such postings are transparent propaganda offered because this administration lacks a workable solution to their self made problem. ==
The history lesson Rumsfeld should be learning is the tragic lesson of Vietnam where unpopular "police action" was to stop the "domino effect" of spreading Communism. Those who suggest we "still have not learned history's lessons" ignore 58,249 soldiers that needlessly died there. That war left Vietnam a Communist country, but our trading partner. Those who objected to that war want to Support Our Troops by bringing them home out of harm's way. We need to actively resist mindless leaders who suggest that weapons of mass destruction, never found in Iraq, are the cause of 911, and that every culture is eager to embrace our form of democracy. Our soldiers who are dying in Iraq are another "Inconvenient Truth" just as those in 1970 whose names are engraved on the Vietnam War Memorial.
In the past I, like so many other Americans, have been so party driven, we've lost sight of what is really important. The welfare of this country.
I am a "black" Viet Nam veteran and, have always considered myself an independant thinker, a farely wise man and, I listen to issues. I believe our politicians have gotten so comfortable in their positions, they say anything to get elected. Dirty tactics mean nothing to most of them. "JUST GET ELECTED!" is their platform.
Democrats, Republicans and anyone else who may be running for office, it's time to stop hustling the American people and, get back to some real issues that can and will benefit the nation.
Mr. Flake, you are my kind of person, from what I heard on 60 Minutes and I could even become a REPUBLICAN, if that's what your party is all about.
What can I do?
Thank You Cong.Flake, I am Democratic, and am happy to see that someone is willing to stick thier neck out for doing the right thing. I hope the others are taking notice. Please don't give up the battle.
George W. Bush comedy and tragedy
http://futurepower.org/Bush_Comedy_and_Tragedy.html
Arizona Congressman Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) says he wants to stop his House colleagues from showering their political districts with money he feels is misspent. ==
THAT IS A LAUDABLE PURSUIT BUT ONLY IF IT PUTS AT THE TOP OF THE WASTE PILE THE BILLIONS OF OUR TAX DOLLARS THAT THIS LYING ADMINISTRATION HAS WASTED IN IRAQ. ==
IT IS OBSCENE TO MENTION MONEY BEFORE THE LOST LIVES OF OUR SOLDIERS IN IRAQ. BUT MONEY SPENT ON IRAQ SEEMS TO BE THE HIGHEST PRIORITY OF THIS REPUBLICAN MISADMINISTRATION. ==
The history lesson Rumsfeld should be learning is the tragic lesson of Vietnam where unpopular "police action" was to stop the "domino effect" of spreading Communism. Those who suggest we "still have not learned history's lessons" ignore 58,249 soldiers that needlessly died there. That war left Vietnam a Communist country, but our trading partner. Those who objected to that war want to Support Our Troops by bringing them home out of harm's way. We need to actively resist mindless leaders who suggest that weapons of mass destruction, never found in Iraq, are the cause of 911, and that every culture is eager to embrace our form of democracy. Our soldiers who are dying in Iraq are another "Inconvenient Truth" just as those in 1970 whose names are engraved on the Vietnam War Memorial.
Would that there were a majority like him.
I like the fact that the other show keeps running new pedifile reports where pedifiles keep coming to a house where a sting operation has been set up. This program needs to go national. And maybe by running new programs on this subject every month they will jump start local police organizations to start similiar programs in their own neighborhoods.
Earmarks are a disgraceful shame. And shame on those congressman for attacking this congressman and for not acknowledging that it is a problem. I understand they are working within the existing system but dang it folks, this system encourages wasteful spending. If any money is going to be wasted the decision should be made at the state level where there might be a greater degree of control and voter input. At the very least all congressman should be required to put their names next to any earmark before it is attached to a bill. Though I think earmark should not be allowed to be attached to bills like they are. They should be voted on separately. This I'll vote for your earmark if you vote for my earmark game should end.
So 60 minutes keep airing that program and I will rewatch it everytime to show my support for such a change.
Arizona Congressman Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) says he wants to stop his House colleagues from showering their political districts with money he feels is misspent. ==
THAT IS A LAUDABLE PURSUIT BUT ONLY IF IT PUTS AT THE TOP OF THE WASTE PILE THE BILLIONS OF OUR TAX DOLLARS THAT THIS LYING ADMINISTRATION HAS WASTED IN IRAQ. ==
IT IS OBSCENE TO MENTION MONEY BEFORE THE LOST LIVES OF OUR SOLDIERS IN IRAQ. BUT MONEY SPENT ON IRAQ SEEMS TO BE THE HIGHEST PRIORITY OF THIS REPUBLICAN MISADMINISTRATION. ==
The history lesson Rumsfeld should be learning is the tragic lesson of Vietnam where unpopular "police action" was to stop the "domino effect" of spreading Communism. Those who suggest we "still have not learned history's lessons" ignore 58,249 soldiers that needlessly died there. That war left Vietnam a Communist country, but our trading partner. Those who objected to that war want to Support Our Troops by bringing them home out of harm's way. We need to actively resist mindless leaders who suggest that weapons of mass destruction, never found in Iraq, are the cause of 911, and that every culture is eager to embrace our form of democracy. Our soldiers who are dying in Iraq are another "Inconvenient Truth" just as those in 1970 whose names are engraved on the Vietnam War Memorial.
These people think we send them there for a vacation,they voted down the minimum wage but they gave themselves a raise.
We the people need to put controls on them, the reason all this pork goes through is because they aren't there enough to separate things to be voted on should be voting on one thing at a time need to make them be there 200 days
Every taxpayer should call every congressman they have and demand to know why they are not supporting Jeff Flake and then hold them responsible by the best term limit initiative ever "voting".
It is time to rid this country of the scallywags and immoral hypocrits that are running this country hiding behind the mask of a congressman.
Why is only one man standing up to disclaim that "earmarks" are morally and ethically wrong?
Listen to this statement: "As they work their way through Congress, earmarks are so shrouded in secrecy you often can%u2019t tell who benefits from them, who sponsors them, or why." What does this tells us about our leaders? Morally bankrupt that's what is says.
First, there must be a mandate that every piece of legislation identifies the specific sponsor of each and every provision. That means every special clause, paragraph or section etc. requires a congressman's name be afixed to that particlular item.
It's time to stop the waste and corruption. YES CORRUPTION. If you are not willing to put your name on the line and instead accepted the twisted logic that exists to self justify your actions, then you are morally corrupt.
Vote'em out.
Mr. Flake is well named. You call "pork%u201D: major renovations to a community marketplace in a poor neighborhood, figuring out how to recycle computer parts which now end up choking landfills, wind power for the military instead of oil, and museums? Any museum is better than any new fangled gun. The real "pork" is properly processed fat sausage and packaged through really well paid lobbyists and they make missiles and landmines and just egged us into a trillion dollar war. Bravo the little snips of bacon that slip through because from your 60 Minutes report, the bridge to nowhere excepted, they seem to be accurately doing what tax dollars should: making taxpayers%u2019 communities better places to live. I am not crazy about %u201Cearmarks%u201D as a formal process but the normal channels have clearly clogged arteries. Matter of fact the Congressman could join the Cornflakes who treat topsoil like dirt and used their lobby to give us ridiculous ethanol instead of solar power.
JSB
STAY THE COURSE
STAY THE COURSE
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