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Money, money everywhere and not one cent fit for New Orleans. The recently passed $787 billion porkulus bill contains Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s, D-Nev., pet $8 billion earmark to build a high-speed train linking Disneyland to Las Vegas. And Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., topped off the lard bucket ironically misnamed as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 with tens of millions of dollars dedicated to restoring the habitat of the salt marsh harvest mouse, a treasured mascot of San Francisco’s environmental extremists. Billions are destined for ACORN, the voter-fraud wing of the Democratic Party. But, there is not a single dime designated for rebuilding New Orleans/Michael Costello, Lewiston Tribune. More here.
Correction: Risch had wrong mouse, district in blasting stimulus package
Question: Some here have objected when I referred to the stimulus package as “porkulus.” Obviously, Idaho schools will benefit from the Mother of All Bailouts. But can you mention any other specifics about the bill that would cause you to support it?
D.F. Oliveria is a columnist and blogger for The Spokesman-Review. Huckleberries Online was judged the best 2008 Idaho newspaper blog by the Idaho Press Club. And the best 2007 news blog in the Pacific Northwest by the Society for Professional Journalist. Print Huckleberries is a past winner of the Herb Caen Memorial Column contest by the National Association of Newspaper Columnists. The Readership Institute of Northwestern University cited this blog as a good example of online community journalism.
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saraeanderson on February 23 at 10:32 a.m.
This editorial is based on no truths whatsoever. ACORN didn't commit voter fraud!
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toadman on February 23 at 10:49 a.m.
The bitching about the bail out is getting old. It's too late to care anymore. Get over it.
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pjc on February 23 at 11:12 a.m.
Jeez toadman, your logic could be applied to most of the bitching about the Bush Administration for the past 8 years. I guess it all depends on whose ox is being gored.
I also found it hilarious that people were actually saying this trillion dollar spending bill didn't have pork or earmarks. They are drinking way too much Kool-Aid.
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toadman on February 23 at 11:18 a.m.
FWIW pjc, I said the same thing during the Bush Administration. Bitching and moaning never has a positive outcome, no matter the reason.
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Joker on February 23 at 11:20 a.m.
I think Congress ignored New Orleans because the city was once a Democratic stronghold. It's Black population voted mostly Democratic for decades. However, after Katrina, the Black population moved away and didn't come back. New Orleans is now Republican area.
Even when stimulating the economy, politics come into play. Sad.
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pjc on February 23 at 11:52 a.m.
Joker: NO still is very Democrat and hardly a Republican stronghold (the suburbs in Jefferson Parish and others might have R but that is the case in most metro areas). I used to live there in the late 1980s.
NO after Katrina was a political issue used against President Bush and the Republicans. That is perfectly fair game and what politics is all about. Now that Democrats are in charge, it isn't an issue. Just get used to it, we are going to see the Republicans bash the Democrats with the same verve and vigor that the Democrats bashed the Republicans. The Republicans are going to use some of the very same arguments that were used against them and the Democrats are going to use some of the very same counter-arguments that were used against them. We will see the big switch in positions.
For the Democrats, they will see how hard it is actually being in charge. For the Republicans, they will be the opposition. It all swings back and forth.
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BlueinIdaho on February 23 at 12:19 p.m.
Why is it that these hacks actually get published with no one checking their stories? Lies are quick to print, but facts take time…
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pjc on February 23 at 12:46 p.m.
blue: The same could be said about Michael Moore's movies, the stories about Ohio in the 2004 election, Gore's movie, and a lot of crap coming from the left.
Both sides do it. It only matters when your side is the recipient of it.
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Nick_Adams on February 23 at 1:06 p.m.
C'mon DFO: The lies that Costello is using here about the mouse and the rail are exactly the ones that were used by Senator Risch last week. They were completely debunked, yet you've reprinted them here.
Shame on the Trib for printing the column, as well. Or, maybe Fisher is just setting himself up for a rip-roaring column hammering these tools.
Please.
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idawa on February 23 at 1:14 p.m.
hmmm…all the lies that's fit to print, I suppose. Besides, I thought Louisiana's republican governor has said that he won't use any of the stimulus package money anyway, so even if this were true, the R's in LA wouldn't allow it to be used anyway…
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Escapee on February 23 at 1:18 p.m.
If he can do anything about it, I hope that President Obama can do a whole lot for New Orleans. In a relative 'moment', that city and its residence experienced extremely catastrophic losses. I'd rather see a whole bunch of money be directed, transparently, to New Orleans. I did hear that Louisiana's Governor turned down the money so that it could be directed to New Orleans.
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Joker on February 23 at 1:45 p.m.
Got to love a light rail project that connects LA with Las Vegas. This seems like a giant pork pie.
Do we need a light rail connector for these two cities? Seems like the money could go for highway and bridge repair. Bridges in this country are in woeful shape. Oh well, as long as LaLa Land and Sin City are linked up, why should we worry.
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pjc on February 23 at 1:48 p.m.
A couple of things, I believe that the governor of LA is turning down SOME of the stimulus money because it may lead to higher unemployment taxes on LA businesses. Here is the first line of the governor's press release about it:
“Today, Governor Bobby Jindal announced that the state will not change its law to use a part of the $787 billion federal stimulus bill that would result in an unemployment insurance tax increase on Louisiana businesses.”
A couple of paragraphs later, he said:
““We will use those provisions, however, that help our people and our businesses in their time of need, in a way that does not add an undue burden to the current financial situation in our state. For example, we will use a part of the legislation that will increase unemployment benefits through our existing unemployment benefit system by $25 a week to recipients, and DOTD Secretary Bill Ankner has already proposed a plan for putting the federal transportation funds in the bill to work as quickly as possible. We have shovel-ready projects ready to go. We already invested hundreds of millions of dollars in one-time surplus funds in transportation projects here last year, and if the legislature agrees to a plan, these one-time federal funds will build on that critical investment.”
I'm not sure anyone here really wants to read the whole thing because that would clarify things and I suspect most want to believe what they want to believe; in any event, you can read the whole thing here:
http://www.gov.state.la.us/index.cfm?…
Come on folks, money from the federal government comes with strings attached (regardless of who is in office). It is somewhat nice that some governors (both Rs and Ds) are actually thinking about the long and short term implications of the federal money.
Second thing, regarding Toadman's comments. Hey, bitching and moaning about things our elected representativea do or don't do is our God-given and Constitution-granted right. Not only does it let off steam it also has a deterrent effect on their future actions.
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Bent on February 23 at 1:49 p.m.
Obama just hired Earl Devaney to oversee the stimulus spending. Devaney is a former secret service agent who was in charge of tracking down the misdeeds of lobbyist Jack Abramof… among many other things. If anyone tries to spend this money illegitimately, I trust he'll catch it…
As for the rumored earmarks, I think they are coming from this site: http://stimuluswatch.org/
It is a wish list of projects that were submitted by various mayors across the country and compiled by a national association of Mayor's … None of the projects are in the stimulus bill.
Despite disclaimers on the page, many of these projects have been spun into these so called earmark rumors.
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pjc on February 23 at 2:05 p.m.
Espacee, NO has been and still is run by a bunch of idiots. They experienced a natural disaster that was increased exponentially by government incompetance and negligence (on a city, parish, state and federal level). When I lived in NO in the 1980's, the citizens of LA kept re-electing Edwin Edwards as governor, even though everyone knew he was as crooked as a barrel of snakes.
LA and NO have a long and rich tradition of electing colorful leaders rather than competent leaders.
I have friends and relatives in Mississippi and the Gulf Coast of Mississippi got hit just as hard by Katrina. Mississippi recovered very well, although they had problems and it wasn't urban like NO; however, they did recover. Think about that, when Mississippi (Mississippi!!) makes you look bad then things are messed up.
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notright on February 23 at 2:13 p.m.
When these 'no-it-all' folks learn to read, I'll pay more attention to them. They keep harping on the same lies. The same lies. Apparently they think they have a lot to gain if the world disappears into a black hole.
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pjc on February 23 at 2:27 p.m.
Bent, take a look at the Conference Report for the stimulus act. As an example, take a look at Division I (dealing with transportation funds - which has traditionally been overwhelmingly pork) and tell me all those projects sound necessary. There are feasibiity studies, trails from rails conversion programs and a bunch of other questionable sounding projects. It wouldn't be unreasonable to come to the conclusion that this law is larded up with pet projects. It is Congress after all, the people who have been overspending since 1789.
Here:
http://www.rules.house.gov/111/LegTex…
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pjc on February 23 at 2:43 p.m.
notright: you are correct in that lies are lies; however, don't bury your head in the sand and believe everything Congress and the President say about this act. They were saying a few weeks ago that the biil (before it was passed) didn't have any pork in it, see this Jan. 27, 2009 NPR story.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/st…
To paraphrase a famous politician, it depends on what the meaning of the word 'pork' is.
Sure, there is a lot of misinformation about this act because none of the 535 members of the House and Senate actually got a chance to read it because it was so hastily put together and passed. That is pretty darn sad.
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Bent on February 23 at 2:50 p.m.
pjc, I have personally read the entire Title 12 of the conference report dealing with transportation. In fact, I spoke to an audience of 75 people on that very subject last Friday. You don't want to debate me on this subject. Here is a link to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which is the stimulus bill:
http://appropriations.senate.gov/News…
There are no earmarks or questionable projects in that portion of the bill.
Your link is to the Fiscal Year 2009 budget that congress failed to pass last session, It does contain earmarks. Lots of them. Congress just released the Omnibus budget bill for 2009 today, and they are expected to pass it when they return from their President's day break…
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DFO on February 23 at 2:52 p.m.
>C'mon DFO: The lies that Costello is using here about the mouse and the rail are exactly the ones that were used by Senator Risch last week. They were completely debunked, yet you've reprinted them here — Nick Adams<
Nick, you are right, indeed. I should have caught that b/c I posted links to stories last week in which House Speaker Pelosi got on Risch's case for quoting an incorrect talking point re: the mouse in his comments against the stimulus package. I'd like to blame it on the unsettling hassle re: my close encounter with a proctologist (colonoscopy Friday). That can addle anyone's wits (along with other areas). Anyway, I posted a correction to the Costello thread. above. You also can read it here: http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2009…. I'd still like to pose the question listed under it: “Some here have objected when I referred to the stimulus package as “porkulus.” Obviously, Idaho schools will benefit from the Mother of All Bailouts. But can you mention any other specifics about the bill that would cause you to support it?”
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Bent on February 23 at 2:52 p.m.
pjc, you keep embarassing yourself. That NPR link is from January 27th, the bill has changed dramatically several times since then…
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Transplanted Texan on February 23 at 3:25 p.m.
High speed rail - which was Obama's idea, not Reid's, thus running as counter to the definition of “pork” as you can get no matter how local it may be - is a great thing for both the economy and the environment. The CBO says that state aid and spending on things like infrastructure assistance will help the economy more than tax cuts, especially tax cuts for the rich. And why just Idaho's schools? I love the parts that help schools in Nebraska, Washington, Maine, and North Carolina too. So yeah, there's a lot in this bill I can name that cause me to support it. It's a bad bill, but a supportable one.
And Joker, NOLA is still overwhelmingly black and still very Democratic. Trust me, I've made three trips there post-Katrina. Cao's election had more to do with Jefferson's corruption than with demographics. Remember, he was re-elected post-storm but pre-indictment in '06. It's true that NOLA will have less of an impact on state-wide politics than before, but the first district is still a Democratic stronghold, just one finally holding its own accountable for corruption.
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Transplanted Texan on February 23 at 3:28 p.m.
Here's more on the high-speed rail from LA to Vegas, and why it's not Reid's pork but rather Obama's dream:
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/…
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Joker on February 23 at 3:37 p.m.
I have to disagree with Texan on the Disney Sin Line. It's totally unnecessary. I've flown into Vegas several times and they don't need a lightrail cutting through some of the most rugged desert in the world.
I feel sorry for the workers building this project. I am sure they'll be paid, but how many will drop dead from heat stroke. Yeah, it's good to be building railroads in 110 degree heat. Did everybody forget what happened to the Chinese in this country and how many died as we enslaved them to build our railroads…
The money would be better spent fixing bridges. Our national highways need a fixing. In Idaho, let's finish the U.S. 95 project….
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hmoffsuite on February 23 at 3:43 p.m.
tex >>> ” It's a bad bill, but a supportable one”
You got the first part right. They all say the bill isn't 'perfect', but good enough. Even Obama said that. My beef with is that I think if we are spending that much money, it damn well better be perfect! Had there been true discourse from all parties and time to read the darn thing, perhaps it could be perfect. Obama should be honest and just say “Its a lousy bill but we got what Pelosi and Reid wanted and agreed to”. I don't support poor efforts or results. .
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Bent on February 23 at 4:08 p.m.
TT, thanks for the Politico story.
But I want to offer a point of clarification. The $8 billion for high speed rail is not “earmarked” for the Vegas to LA line, or any other line for that matter.
Secretary LaHood has 60 days to come up with criteria for spending those dollars, and so far there are 11 high-speed rail proposals that could qualify for the money… I'm sure more projects will crop up now that Obama has created a specific program for those projects…
I wish the stimulus trashers would just check their facts before getting all wild-eyed and posting rumors as facts…
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hmoffsuite on February 23 at 4:15 p.m.
The real problem is, Bent, we will likely never ever really know where the money IS spent. They wouldn't tell us before they signed the bill, so you think they will tell us after they spend it? My guess is no.
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Bent on February 23 at 4:30 p.m.
I guess we will have to wait and see on that one Hmoff, but they hav set up a website to track every dollar: http://www.recovery.gov/
Also go back and re-read my 1:49 p.m. post on this thread. Personally, I think we'll be able to watch this play out. Will it be smooth? I doubt it. I'm fairly certain mistakes will be made… but I won't blame the administration because we are charting new waters here… there is no blueprint for getting out of this.
It is what it is, and now it's time to play the cards we are dealt, IMHO…
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Joker on February 23 at 4:43 p.m.
Does anybody really think a Disney Sin line is a good proposal? If so what's your rationale?
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nic on February 23 at 4:45 p.m.
Joker, you might want to re-read Bent's earlier debunking of this claim…
“But I want to offer a point of clarification. The $8 billion for high speed rail is not “earmarked” for the Vegas to LA line, or any other line for that matter.”
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Joker on February 23 at 4:53 p.m.
Nic,
I realize they're not any “earmarks” wink wink. But I am asking does anybody think this “Idea” is a good one and if so, why?
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Arch_Druid on February 23 at 10:55 p.m.
Costello sounds like the usual partisan hack. Would he make a different argument if the federal handout came from a GOP gvt?
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