Guns, Butter, and Led Zepplin

[Occhidiangela]

The problem -

http://councilfor.cagw.org/site/News2?abbr...Article&id=9178

http://www.cagw.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=9046
Its never as simple as just throwing money it. You need good smart people to make this stuff work and were trying to do it with politicians.
[right][snapback]88073[/snapback][/right]

Politicians are the people who end up setting public policy. Public policy is a major part of their job description. Their problem is that they get presented with a number of alternatives, and have to wiselly choose which alternative, or combinatinon of them, is the best course. They don't always get it right, even those who are not corrupt or simply self serving.

My concern is the delta between 11-17 billion for Boston's Big Dig, for traffic alleviation (and the knock of effects pro and con on our air quality) and major public works to, for example, prevent a city from flooding. It is not a simple either or issue, and transportation policy is related to energy policy . . . or should be.

This was an interesting tidbit, thanks.

The bill, which could go to the Senate floor today, is flooded with 618 unrequested Army Corps of Engineers projects costing more than $1.3 billion, and 117 “congressionally directed” energy projects worth $172.5 million.

Occhinote: what does "unrequested" mean? I wonder.


· Walkin’ in high cotton and not forgotten. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) plucked $176.8 million for projects in his state, including: $113.3 million for Yazoo River and Basin projects; $3.5 million for Pascagoula Harbor; $2.5 million for the Jackson State University Bioengineering Complex; $1 million for Mississippi State University bio-fuel application; and $1 million for hydrates research at the University of Mississippi.

· California Screamin’. $87.7 million worth of projects will be flowing to the state of Senate Energy and Water Appropriations subcommittee member Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), including: $30.9 million for the American River watershed modifications; $7 million for Upper Newport Bay ecosystem restoration; and $500,000 for the Arnold Palmer Prostate Center at the Eisenhower Lucy Curci Cancer Center.

· Celebrating Fat Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday… Senate Energy and Water Appropriations subcommittee member Mary Landrieu (D-La.) grabbed $81.4 million for the Pelican State, including: $16.6 million for the J. Bennett Johnston Waterway (which received $11.5 million in fiscal 2005); $1.3 million for Barataria Bay; and $500,000 for the Louisiana Immersive Tech Enterprise Program at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.

Citizens Against Government Waste is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, mismanagement and abuse in government.

These folks target large projects, yet seem to choose not to go into the long term needs being met by the infrastructure projects. Of course, they could just be pork. Sometimes hard to tell the difference.

© CITIZENS AGAINST GOVERNMENT WASTE
1301 CONNECTICUT AVENUE, NW, SUITE 400, WASHINGTON, DC 20036
202-467-5300

I am going to ask my dad about these folks, something fishy.

Occhi