$2 Million Super-Paint Funding Questioned

What’s Behind This Taxpayer-Funded Earmark? CBS News Follows The Money

(CBS)  Sherwin Williams was one of the lucky winners in a recent round of Congressional funding. It got an earmark for two million in tax dollars to develop a super-paint that can kill toxic bacteria. But it’s a project some critics say isn’t even feasible.

But all the company had to do to get the money was ask its hometown congresswoman, Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, D-Ohio.

Rep. John Campbell, R-Calif., challenged the earmark on the House floor.

“What investigations, what research has been done to determine that this technology could be effective and is worth $2 million in taxpayer funds?” Campbell asked.

An earmark is a grant of money without normal public review, CBS News investigative correspondent Sharyl Attkisson reports. Members of Congress often deliver them to hometown projects or companies knowing little about the details or the value for the tax dollar.

What they do know is that bringing home bacon gets them votes - and job security.

“Those earmarks to local companies can be the worst kind of government spending,” says Ryan Alexander, a taxpayer advocate.

“By singling out one company without looking at what the marketplace has available, we don’t know that we’re getting the best product. We don’t know that we’re getting the best value for our money,” said Alexander, president of the group Taxpayers for Common Sense.

Myron Zebrak, who works for a Sherwin Williams competitor, said he was incensed when he heard the multi-billion dollar paintmaker got an earmark worth millions.

“I think the money isn’t well spent and it all ends up in the Congressman’s district. It’s not fair,” said Zebrak, who is a coating manufacturer.

But when asked about their hometown earmarks, members of Congress can get touchy.

Tubbs Jones refused CBS News interview requests so a crew found her at her Capitol Hill office.

“Don't you ever walk up to me like this,” she told Attkisson when approached on Capitol Hill by a CBS News crew. “Young lady, turn the camera off.”

“You can’t order us to turn our cameras off,” Attkisson replied.

“Okay, then you can’t … I can’t be forced to talk. Thank you very much,” Tubbs Jones said.

“I've been asking for an interview,” Attkisson explained.

“Don’t play me like that,” Tubbs Jones said.

And when Tubbs Jones grabbed Attkisson’s wrist, Attkisson said, “Please take your hands off me.”

“I'm not gonna take, I didn't mean any offense,” Tubbs Jones said. “OK. Wanna have a conversation?”

Attkisson replied: “I just want to ask you a couple of questions about the Sherwin Williams earmark.”

“Give me a few moments and I'll talk to you,” Tubbs Jones said.

A few minutes later, Tubbs Jones agreed to talk, and said she gave Sherwin Williams the earmark because the company told her it's the most qualified.

Does she have a problem with taking Sherwin Williams’ word for it?

“All I can tell you is that Sherwin Williams has a reputation for honesty, doing great work in my community and they came with a proposal that looked good to me,” Tubbs Jones said. “They showed me testing, they showed me a video and I said ‘let’s go for it!’”

Sherwin Williams wouldn't agree to an interview, but said under their concept they'll only recieve a portion of the $2 million. The rest will go to partners in the project.

Whether or not a new super-paint is ever invented, there’s one broad brush of truth - Tubbs Jones managed to created $2 million worth of goodwill in her home district.

And at this point Sherwin Williams hasn't had to compete for the money.

[durationk34]

Anti-microbial paint technology is avalabile right now! The difference is the microbes you are combating. I think that the types in biological weapons will differ from those around the tub and toilet. If it can be done SW will certainly do it. If you had to choose someone to perform your heart transplant, would you choose the new guy fresh out of med school? Or would you choose the grizzled ancient doctor who has seen most every scenario play out on his operating table time and time again? Further, CBS and mass media in general will spin anything any direction in an effort to make a story. Headlines get attention and make advertising space more valuable. This is how CBS makes it''s money!! Every business entity has a method for growth. The media is no exception. Sherwin-Williams develops new paint technologies and applies them in pratical ways. Place that with fantastic, trademark customer service and you have a value that cannot be matched. Further, the integrity of SW makes it an easy choice for any person or group.

[paint2007]

Clearly, the person below is either an employee of Sherwin Williams or he/she has no clue about the paint industry. I have been in R&D for over 20 years in paint, there are other paint companies that could do the same.

All paint companies should get a grant for this. It is unfair. This from someone who has stock in Sherwin Williams.

[keithinth]

Okay, how about doing some research before writing the story. Look into a line of products called CARC paint. The paint and coatings industry is highly competitive, high tech field. The products that the government wants researched are attainable. How does a paint product that greatly protects tank crews from chemical and biological warfare agents sound to all the parents of American service men? Moreover how does it sound to the service men themselves? To me, just the idea is worth a grant to investigate. By the way, Sherwin-Williams is the largest paint company in America. Maybe that had something to do with why the government chose them to do the research.

[prhemmes]

As a chemist, I remember that there was research on developing a microbial resistant paint in the 1960''s. If you Google "antimicrobial paint" you get over 1000 hits. This paint probably exists today. If there was a specific need for something special, governmant grant procedures, open to all small companies, could offer funding at a much lower cost to the government. There is no justification for this earmark at all except to raise campaign contributions.

[paint2007]

I can make a tape also. I think other firms could use the 2 million dollars for R&D expense also. Does congress support free trade or are we moving to state run operations?

That congress lady has no clue about the dark side of large paint companies. Maybe I can sell my old car to her for 1 million dollars of tax payer.

[irishfight70]

this is stupid, useless adn retarded, why dont you use the money for something useful like for orphanages or something tha nthis stupid ***

[pastdue1]

Two million dollars is not so much money.
Posted by CBS_Oliver
$2 million for Ohio by a congressperson who doesn''t even understand why.
Multiply the $2 million by the 50 states and you get $100 million. Wouldn''t that fund the current children''s health bill?

[pwrslm]

Two million dollars is not so much money.
Posted by CBS_Oliver

two dollars is not so much money. two million is a million times more

the real figure is somewhere around 47 billion

this is the one that got into the light of day

they all should be stopped

it doesnt cost much, but those who we elect are just as prone to the same corruption as the last batch

its time to make a constitutional amendment ending the abuses of congress

that would cost a lot

but compared to what they are stealing from us

its not much

[softspoken99]

3 words: Solar power paint.

[whispyseas]

'' ... i said close vietnam, they said, ''sir yes sir'', i said go dare all the kids, they said, ''sir yes sir'', i said i''m no sir i''m a ma''am, they said ''sir yes sir'', i said go jump in a lava lake, they got real quiet ... i''m so sorry ... really i am ... but last i checked: people did not spontaneously erupt in the middle of oblivion, earth did not come before eternity, therefore, i cannot possibly be surrounded by the suffering and by the mortal, because for that to happen, first i''d have to choose, consciously choose to do so, then i''d have to find myself in a place full of not only people, but of plants and animals and clouds and stars and molecules and microbes that consciouly choose to find themselves in that exact same world at that exact same time ... and what are the odds of that ... ''

[whispyseas]

'' ...

7 billion folk

average 90,000 countys of 90,000 folk

each county average 300 16+ acre trail group trail crossings of 300 folk each

spaced average mile or two apart

not a country or a company

just farm folk visting 33 sick beds or so each day at 33 different trail crossing trail groups

'' ... (36 a day? if minum wage = $50 & there''s 300 folk per village, then 10,800 vistors with $1 tips are required by each village each day, needing each to visit a sick bed at each of 36 villages to input $1 and output $1) ... ''

at each trail crossing, something like 300 2500 square foot parcels w/ 340 square foot cottage studios to borrow there or here or then or now

for drip compost fertilize and drip water irrigate and spore bloom farms and dirt farms

for dancing get well feed world songs rallyd round hundreds millions sick beds drifting tens millions spore bloom weed dragon trail fickle first aid lunch farm cottage studio trail group trail crossing yseedsberrys

... ''

[alphaa10-2009]

The practice of the "earmark"-- strictly speaking, the appropriation of public money outside public review and scrutiny-- began with the defense appropriations bill of 1970, when there were a dozen earmarks. By 1980, that year''s defense bill attracted 62 earmarks. By 2005, the defense spending bill included 2,671. Clearly, earmark sponsors have learned to use massive appropriations to shield their bills from public scrutiny.

The issue remains, should all legislative spending be reviewed with the same transparency reserved for most other spending? Both parties have used earmarks, and both have been accused of impropriety.

The 2005 congressional earmark total reached ludicrous proportions, with some $47 billion distributed through about 15,000 congressional earmarks.

Sharyl,

Rep. John Campbell, R-Calif, must be your favorite politician since he keeps showing up on your stories. I know that Democrats are not saints, but can you be any more bias on your reports. Democrats are easy pickings for you since you don''t what to really follow our money. 2 Million dollars is a loss, but that does not compares with the Billions of dollars that gets lost through the White House with the Iraq War. I guess that would be too much for you to handle. Plus, your friend John might not like it.

[satxfreedom]

www.TrueWorldHistory.info

[retiredusaf3]

Yep Your Dems at work again. Humm Didn''t see any contract bidding on this one.

[nothappyatall]

How about a program to give free head lice kits out to low income families?
More free flu shots for the elderly?
More free assistance to get your hot water tanks insulated to cut fuel costs?

Posted by linfinster
--
Your utility company already HAS weatherization and water heater insulation programs, mine does and gives out several free CFL''s, 2 sink water reducers, a water heater jacket, checks your insulation and has programs for discounted insulation and replacment windows. All you gotta do is CALL them.

More free flu shots? there is no shortage of those programs, the shortage is the VACCINES cant be produced fast enough for 300 million people and money isnt going to change that its a manufacturing problem

Free head lice kits?? Gezus man, if someone cant afford one, maybe they should have rethought their idea of having KIDS they cant support, if they cant afford that then those kids are not in good homes and theres a much bigger problem there than free lice kits!

[nothappyatall]

ALL of these cute little home-town earmarks look shady, but one has to consider several things;

The company pays TAXES in that county, BIG taxes of all kinds from corporate income to property/real estate and payroll, their employees live there and likewise spend their paychecks and pay taxes there.

To a huge company like Sherwin-Williams, this amount of money is PEANUTS, their payroll probably is that much a month if not a week.

EVERY district gets these little ''hometown'' perks, as they should- every county and state pays a miriad of TAXES to the Federal Govt, these ''perks'' bring some of it BACK where it was generated, its similar to a tax rebate.

You go to states that have a military base, they get all kinds of perks too, especially the towns whose biggest employer is the military.

I object to CBS swooping down on someone and dive-bombing them with cameras after they declined an interview with a crew whose intent was tabloid drama

This report was awful. If a company has a proposal then they should present it to their congressman. Just like Sherman Williams did.

And all the Reporter%u2019s theatrics was arrogant and uncalled for.

Also if this was %u201Cfollow the money%u201D Why didn%u2019t%u2019 you do a Republican lawmaker too.

[maki22-2009]

Thank you for your kind comments. For the record, I would LOVE to have all earmarks, including this one, stopped. Yes, 2 mil is too much, but my point is that it is only a small drop in a very big bucket. Take that money and use it for school programs, elder care, immunizations, etc. instead of a dead-end war in Iraq, contractor no-bid contracts worth BILLIONS (Halliburton must **** themselves laughing at stories like this) and rampant cronyism.

But what would happen if we did that? The CBS News/FOX demographics would start screaming LIBERALS!! SOCIALISM!!

As far as my comment on race is concerned, CBS could have gone to every congressional district in the country and found someone sitting on a pile of wasteful earmark money. But all things being equal, they chose THIS congressperson because it reinforces the underlying meme that CBS tries to convey: tax and spend DEMOCRATS - the dark complexion of the person at the center of the story is just the icing on the cake.

The media plays us for chumps - you can either look at it with a critical eye or swallow it hook line and sinker. CBS is counting on its old white angry demographic to swallow it. IT IS ALL ABOUT APPEALING TO THE DEMOGRAPHIC IN ORDER TO INCREASE ADD REVENUE. Everything else is secondary.

P.S. If you think Ron Paul is your saviour, time to add more tinfoil to your hat.

[djconklin]

"*** STOP THE WAR & END CORPORATE CORRUPTION ***"

I can tell you why Ron Paul will never get my vote: because his supporter keeps post the same thing over and over on every comment section for every news story.