We've known for a long time that the discussion about the "evil" of earmarks was just a bunch of hooey to distract the American people from the fact that every politician in Congress is a huge fan of earmarks - well, so long as they are his or her earmarks!
For example, President Obama's proposed budget has folks in New York a wee bit upset. Obama thought that $600 million located in the federal terrorism insurance program which was to "cover builders against terror attacks" was not a smart use of federal dollars; it was, in fact, "an excessive federal subsidy."
You think? Are you covered if your house gets blown away by a terrorist attack? I don't think so. Why then should our government protect billionaire New York builders from terrorists attacks? Isn't that "socialism." Oh, that's right, socialism is fine if it helps me; wrong if it helps you!
In fact, as the White House pointed out, this money actually encouraged builders to build less safe buildings and thus hopes that these cuts encourage the builders to "mitigate terrorism risk" by "building safer buildings."
New York pols were also upset that Obama scotched a program which handed $18 million to the New York City police department to fight illegal immigration, and another program which provided funds for build a new presidential helicopter fleet in Oswego.
It seems that much of the so-called "terrorism" funds have, since 9/11, been given to cities large and small across our country, the great majority of which are at about as much risk from a terrorist attack as they are from Mars falling on their city halls. What they've done is use these funds to bolster their police departments and put up cameras in every nook and cranny of their towns to spy on ordinary citizens.
Count the number of little cameras at intersections where you live. Welcome to 1984. Courtesy of the Department of Homeland Security, which is busy at work protecting ze faderland from ze bad guys!
Earmarks are really great, so long as they're my earmarks. That's the unsung refrain haunting the halls of Congress.
1 comment:
I just love to see the way Barry is slashing all the bogus crap Bush and Cheney got for all their rich buddies, and the assholes who wanted to know what everyone was doing every minute of the day.
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