Lets Look At Facts

[MM38084]

Next time someone talks about the budget crisis in Washington, or the deficit crisis, or the revenue crisis, tune them out.

The only real crisis is a leadership crisis.

From the president on down, there's a total absence of fiscal discipline.

The result of the rudderless federal ship is a record $786 billion spending bill moving through Congress that contains more than 9,000 special appropriations -- pork barrel projects -- for the states and districts represented by influential congressmen, at a cost of almost $23 billion. That compares with 2,000 such projects five years ago, according to Citizens Against Government Waste, and it helps explain why the federal budget is posting runaway deficits.

Given the extraordinary strain placed on taxpayers by homeland security needs and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, President George W. Bush would be perfectly justified in vetoing this pork package. But he won't. Bush has not issued a single veto in his first three years in office.

That's a big reason why federal spending has grown faster in Bush's term than in any other three-year period during the past 25 years. Federal spending totals $20,000 per household, up from $16,000 per household five years ago, and is at its highest inflation-adjusted level since World War II, according to the Heritage Foundation, a Washington think tank.

The administration defends the spending growth as a necessary byproduct of the terrorism war. But that doesn't explain these gifts sprinkled throughout the proposed spending bill:

* $225,000 for a Kentucky Civil War theme park.

* $200,000 for Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

* $325,000 for a swimming pool in Salinas, Calf.

* $80,000 for a bike trail in Arkansas.

* $450,000 for trout genome mapping.

* $2 million for the First Tee youth golf program.

The list is endless. And while Congress is buying frills with taxpayer dollars, local school districts are laying off teachers and state governments are cutting people off Medicaid.

Many of the congressional projects are defensible on their merits. What's not defensible is funding them with special federal grants.

That creates an inequity from community to community, state to state. If the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is worthy of a federal grant, why not the Motown Museum? If Arkansas merits a taxpayer-funded bike trail, why not Michigan? If the kids in Salinas should get a swimming pool paid for by all American taxpayers, why not the kids in Detroit?

The more fair system -- in years when the national treasury can afford it -- would be to make proportional grants directly to states, and allow governors and lawmakers to decide which projects are worthy of support. But that would keep members of Congress from buying votes with the direct grants.

The American people have been told they are in a perilous period, and the need for sacrifice is great. Taxpayers have been asked to pay for a broad range of measures to make the nation more secure. They've also been handed a bill of $87 billion to rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan.

Is it too much to ask of Congress and the president to behave in a manner that reflects the gravity of the times? Could they not drop the greedy, get-mine-first attitude and instead act for once in the national interest?

Squandering $23 billion on pork is appalling. It's an affront to taxpayers who are struggling to balance household budgets in a still shaky economy. And it's a reflection of the weak character of the individuals who occupy the country's highest offices.

[SuperScout]

Perhaps a combination of the season of Lent, where the faithful are asked to give up a cherished habit or item, and one of the tenets of Judaism, where the faithful are proscribed from consuming pork, should be mandated upon members of Congress. If these overpaid porcines would just give up (1) increasing any portion of the budget for 2 years, (2) disallow any percentage increase in any category for 2 years, and (3) fund only those mandated items per the Constitution, we could all enjoy more tax cuts.

[MORTARDUDE]

This Congress and President have emulated and superseded anything ever done by "the tax and spend liberals". Their "budgets" and asinine "accounting gimmicks" should make every American mad as Hell.

Larry

[Keith_Hixson]

And how long will it take for America to figure it out? When it comes to fiscal discipline in Washington, there is none. Both sides are equal to blame. The only difference is: priorities on which pet peeve to spend the money. We haven't had good accounting in Washington, well ...... lets see, from at least Hoover. And even after the Civil War there was lots of corruption in Washington. Thats the facts. So what's new? And we as Americans are just as guilty!!!! Most of working America is chronically in debt. Credit cards maxed out, etc. Come on folks lets be honest Congress and the Government is a mirror of our society. Lets not be so hypocritical and points fingers at Washingtion, the Congress and Administration. We are guilty! And we with our opions put pressure on the President and Congress to spend. When it comes to spending and over spending, its the American way.

Keith

[HARDCORE]

Next time someone talks about the budget crisis in Washington, or the deficit crisis, or the revenue crisis, tune them out.

The only real crisis is a leadership crisis.

My only question is: "Does not any (real) crisis begin with a leadership (regardless of party) crisis?"

The Buck Most Always Starts At The Top - Unfortunately, It Never Remains There For Long!!!!!!!

VERITAS

[MORTARDUDE]

What is done in Washington D . C. with "our hard earned tax dollars"...has absolutely nothing to do with how each and every one of our families spend their personal income, save it, or decide to go into debt. Washington D.C is a huge black hole....the more energy ( money ) you pump into it, the more out-of-control it gets. IMHO

Larry

[Keith_Hixson]

Larry,

I do disagree with you! "absolutely nothing to do with how . . . Americans spend their own income." You are sorta right but wong. Congress mirrors society, we as a society must change before expect congress to change. It is a sociatal issue as much as it is congress issue. The greeder we as a society become the more congress will spend to satisfy our greed. It has everything to do with how we as Americans spend our personal income. I do believe we as individuals have the right to personal freedom in our spending but to deny that the philosophy of our personal spending does not affect government is somewhat of an ostrich approach. How individual Americans spend has everything to do with the way the government spends.

Keith

P.S. Hey Larry, we could have fun with this one.

[MORTARDUDE]

With all due respect Keith, you are 100% wrong. Many of the ills of our Society can be traced to 1933 and the fact that Big Government permeates every facet of our lives. ( you want a list ? ...infinite Welfare created an underclass....food stamps...the military-industrial-complex.....energy policy ?...education or lack of it..Medi-scam....Social In-Security...) This is so far from what was intended from 1775 - 1789, that it could be in another dimension. Scale back the ravenous-pork-feeders in Washington D.C., and many wonderful things will happen. Sorry, I will yield not one iota on this issue.

I still love ya Keith !!! LOL

Larry

P.S. :

I have been on the inside of Uncle Sam's "company" since 1969.

[Keith_Hixson]

This is fun!!

But, I still feel the progress of America after WW II and the greed associated with that economic boom has created a lot of our problems.

I agree with you that programs which helped pull America out of the depression should have slowly been fazed out. We have become a nation of entitlements. However as I look at American society and how they bought into what took place back in 1933, some of blame if not all can be blamed on Big Government and the Politicians but so much of the blame falls back on us as a society. We the people allowed it to happen and bought into it the dogma of entitlements. We may not like it but, I and the rest of us have no one to blame but ourselves.

I agree with you entirely! That what we have is not the intent of our Founding Fathers. But I believe each of us must look into our own heart and lives and ask, "How could this have happened? How could we have prevented this? What can I do to make the changes necessary to correct the situation. We all are responsible to a certain degree for allowing it to happen.

I too want the "ravenous - pork - feeder" scaled back and I certainly am not defending them but I believe the greed of monetary success after WW II fed this plus the programs from the depression which were already in place. "We the People" are also responsible for what has taken place not just the government. As our society continues to erode we must look at ourselves individual and begin by making the change there.

Keith

[HARDCORE]

LARRY & KEITH -

"Ah yes indeed, the ravenous pork-feeders, many of them political by nature!" But listed amidst this quagmire, must also be "Foreign Entitlements!"

In other words, and taking all such (so called) entitlements into consideration, how much of this "Infamous Black Hole" lies to the east of Liberty, and to the west of the Golden Gate? :cd: :ek: :cd:

VERITAS