Your money, rolling in the mud
Barbara Hollingsworth of the D.C. Examiner recently offered inquiring minds a glimpse into how some of the economic stimulus dollars taxpayers are putting up will work. Specifically, for those of you who love pork and controversial special interests like the Association for Community Organization for Reform Now (ACORN), the National Education Association (NEA) and National Council of La Raza, bon appetit!
Hollingsworth suggests that one of the first things President Obama should do to cut the federal deficit in half by 2013 is to cut the congealed pork fat that’s slated to fall into the trough of those organizations and others like them. ACORN, the NEA and La Raza have “already received billions of tax dollars under Obama’s $787 billion stimulus plan,” she says, and they are expected to receive even more.
Suey! Suey!
Taxpayers for Common Sense found thousands of earmarks in the recent economic omnibus, which totaled $7.7 billion. President Obama has vowed to fight back against earmarks, so one wonders when he’s going to get on that…
The omnibus bill, according to Hollingsworth, contains a $473,000 earmark for La Raza, “which has called for Mexico to annex the southwestern states.” ACORN, an organization that has been implicated in voter fraud and is largely responsible for America’s subprime housing crisis, is slated for “more than $7 million in earmarks.”
Emergency projects funded on your dollar
For your enjoyment, here are a few other pet projects Hollingsworth brings to light. Keep in mind, America is in the middle of an economic crisis:
- A planetarium in Peoria
- Potato cloning in Maine
- A “World Trade Center” in Montana
- A $5.8 million “Ted Kennedy Institute for the Senate”
I have to laugh. Democratic Majority Leader Steny Hoyer tried to justify the pork (which 60 percent of Democrats supported) by saying that “You can’t spell ‘earmark’ without an R.”
Sen. John McCain wants President Obama to keep his promise about fighting earmarks. Taxpayers cannot afford the additional burden. The national debt is about to increase from $120,000 per household to $152,000, writes Hollingsworth.
Pen the pigs, or else
Not only are the earmarks out of control, but the bill contains “an eight percent increase over baseline spending at twice the rate of inflation.” This is a huge discretionary spending increase. Overall, I’d say America ought to use more discretion when they determine the amount of the easy loans they throw at known predators like ACORN.
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Good article.. I would have liked to see the videos also but the links don’t work.
Thank you for informing Personal Money Store about not being able to view the videos, we have fixed the issue and you can now see the videos.