
WASHINGTON, Oct. 5, 2007
$2 Million Super-Paint Funding Questioned
What’s Behind This Taxpayer-Funded Earmark? CBS News Follows The Money
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2M Tax Dollars For Paint
Sharyl Attkisson investigates a controversial and costly government grant that funds the development of paint.
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Keeping Track Of Tax Dollars
"Only On The Web:" The government funding of a controversial and costly project has opened up questions about how tax dollars are spent.
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Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, D-Ohio, answers questions from CBS News investigative correspondent Sharyl Attkisson about a $2 million earmark in her district. (CBS)
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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.
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Ahhhh....partners in the project. Hmmmm. Wonder just who these ''partners'' are and how long it will be before Tubbs Jones is before some committee testifying she knew nothing about where the money would actually be spent? This isn''t about Democrats scamming and s..cre..wing 98% of us while they shower their own voters with special favors. This is all of our government right now. Tubbs Jones no more deserves to be a Congresswoman than you or I deserve to be taxed into poverty to pay her salary. But she isn''t alone. Personal agendas that violate the fair process of free enterprise by excluding competition or get approval because they were attached to bills of importance should grounds for dismissal. And frankly, I don''t believe the people of Ohio have a clue just how unethical their Congresswoman really is...until now.
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Posted by maki22 at 09:42 PM : Oct 05, 2007
Always got to be racial, doesn''t it??
As far as being touched by the black congresswomen, it appears to be more of response to the congresswomen''s volatile response.
Touchy, touchy. I''m the first one to point out racism when it''s appropriate, but I think you are reading an awful lot into this incident. Are you suggesting that the CBS news reporter only investigated this earmark because the congress woman who proposed it happens to be black? Come on, that''s pretty hard to swallow! Just because a congress woman is black doesn''t mean she is immune to bad judgement! Save your racial indignation for real cases of racism like what''s going on in Jena, not an investigative report of congressional waste spending.
sure, nice cash gram demoncrats, gratzzzzz
we see what you are...you arent fooling anybody
Hey, now, don''t act like this only a Democratic problem! Remember the infamous bridge to nowhere? Proposed by a Republican. This isn''t a partisan issue. All our congressmen these days are spendthrifts. All of them! And they will bankrupt this country before they''re through . . .
Posted by socrates392
Back in January, the Dems were so hot about justice, just got into office alot of them, superior numbers, gonna fix the broken machine, kill earmarks...isnt that what they told us???
well...but bubble popped...we elected more liars...yes, the demons control congress
they are the demoncrats, right?
thats good will? how can that be...good...will...when you take 2 million dollars of someone elses money and give it to a wealthy corporation? when the homeless people buy clothes, they pay taxes on thier clothes, its like taking food from thier mouths to give to a corporation whose CEO makes millions of dollars a year....
so much for....good....sense.
what do you do, spray it on raw beef? does it come in multiple colors, we could do psychedelic strawberries!!
My point regarding race is that the money in this case is pretty insignificant by government standards. But CBS clearly chose to focus on a pretty small earmark because the images play to their demographic. They are appealing to a deep-seated prejudice that exists in much of their (dwindling) audience. The situation with regard to earmarks is unfortunately pretty standard. They could have gone to a lot of congressional offices and found the same story, many of which far exceed the 2 million in this story. There is a reason they chose this congressperson, because it plays to their old white angry demographic.
In defense of CBS, they cover Blackwater corruption all the time. As they should. I think the billions we are wasting in Iraq does bother them. Is $2 million small in comparison to $190 billion? Yes. However, this earmark is just the latest in a long string of pet projects funded by congress stretching back decades. I don''t think the reporter meant to single out this congress woman because she is an African American. I think he chose to report on this particular earmark because it is emblematic of a bigger problem in congress.
Posted by nikosk1
So you think that freedom from Saddam in Iraq is worth less than this 2 mill for paint? When we took out the low grade uranium, and the plans and equipment that some scientist buried in his yard until sanctions were lifted, it become obvious that eve 1 trillion to free Iraq was really a low price.
But this paint, hows this stuff work? If you got salad with salmonella on it, you just rub each salad leaf on the wall, or do you spray paint the lettuce?
Can we paint lakes with it? Get rid of the bacteria that kills kids? Is it latex, or enamel, we know the oil based paints are harder to clean up after.
compared to bush, the lie about this paint makes him look like an angel....really it does
so why do the taxes of the people need to be given to giant corporations that pay CEO''s multi million dollar salaries? is this what congress calls "truth", or is it "justice"...well, it really doesnt matter, its a lie, its got nothing to do with the business of the people, its a violation of our trust in congress
CEO Connor at Sherwin Williams compensation is over 15 million per year, why do they need 2 million dollars of taxpayer money?
Let them pay for it, if they can afford to pay salaries of this stature.
I know one congress person that should be in jail, this company doesnt need a dime from the taxpayers.
Posted by maki22 at 09:42 PM : Oct 05, 2007
Seems the only one so far that has even brought up race is:
YOU
YOU Posted by Klingon69 at 11:49 AM : Oct 06, 2007
Right ON!
maki22? You''re an a*s*s! Stop corrupting the story! You may want to think $2million is nothing, but I have a few government programs that could really USE it!
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?
Even help lower the cost of building more jails for the corrupt CEO''s of this nation that steal our tax dollars (AND our TAXED dollars..)any way they can!
I wonder how much it cost to run the story - all infrastructure and support costs included?
Maybe CBS could manage to get their number correct on the costs and rolls of Federally funded security contracters in Iraq and elsewhere including for use in interrogations and ......... torture.
That would be a story.
But CBS won''t get that lead from their Republican congressman buddy.
YOU Posted by Klingon69 at 11:49 AM : Oct 06, 2007
Right ON!
maki22? You''re an a*s*s! Stop corrupting the story! You may want to think $2million is nothing, but I have a few government programs that could really USE it!
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?
Even help lower the cost of building more jails for the corrupt CEO''s of this nation that steal our tax dollars (AND our TAXED dollars..)any way they can!
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Attention Americans! You''re are being screwed minus the benefit of a kiss! Replace ALL INCUMBENTS next year. Start over. Do this a couple of times and the congressional thieves may get the message. Domenici has been a senator for 25 yrs., 19 years too long!!!!
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.
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.
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.
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
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!
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.
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.
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
... ''
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
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?
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.
All paint companies should get a grant for this. It is unfair. This from someone who has stock in Sherwin Williams.
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by durationk34
October 8, 2007 9:02 PM PDT
- 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.
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