As legislators begin to turn in their rejection slips for a recall section, I ask--what is political pork?What are earmarks?These words are uttered by the daily public as if they are a four-letter variety.
Yesterday I spoke to a journalist and he called Bobby Jindal’s cutting of the budget, cutting away “earmarks”.Then, I took issue over the word “earmarks” and he inserted the word, “pork”.
Which words have made me wonder again, what is pork?What are earmarks?
When I heard President Bush refusing to help Louisiana in a supplemental budget to fund the Iraq war (where we are spending approximately 8 to 12 billion dollars a day), he called Katrina money “pork”.
When I hear Governor Jindal promising to build a museum and willing to spend close to thirty million dollars of taxpayer’s money, he calls it an “investment”.
When we put three-hundred-million dollars into a state fund to attract companies, it’s an investment but when we grant money to help small businesses, it’s pork.
When we allow families 6000 dollars for vouchers, it’s an investment.
When we spend almost one hundred million dollars into helping to deal with mental health in Louisiana (and particularly in the New Orleans area) it’s an investment.
But, when Governor Jindal vetoes money to an organization to help remove poor people off the street of Canal and Claiborne who camp on that corner and are causing an eyesore and an embarassment, the project is called “pork”.
Iraq is an investment, but Louisiana is pork.Museums costing the taxpayers millions are an investment, but a program to remove the homeless is “pork”.
Not that I am against the Iraq war, or vouchers, or museums or investing in a 300 million dollar fund for economic development incentives or even large salaries for Governor Jindal’s key staff.I am in favor of all of these “investments”.But, I think we need to be honest with ourselves and admit that programs we like are investments in the future, while programs we know nothing about or think that somebody is taking advantage of the system, we call pork.
Which makes me wonder:On a larger scale, is the first Jindal budget of nearly thirty billion dollars--an investment in necessary services or is it pork?Why are we being so hard on programs to Non Government Organizations which in the scheme of things money allocated to them are really pittance compared to the overall budget?
These questions are exactly the reason I favor the veto session.The people have a right to know if those programs sliced by Governor Jindal are legitimate or are a real waste of government money.We have a right to know why fifty-thousand dollars were taken away from the budget that would have helped remove forty homeless families from TentCity living on one of the most famous streets in the world.
We have a right to know why hundreds of thousand of dollars were cut from specific entrepreneurship programs in New Orleans that have helped numerous companies grow-- especially in a very hard hit economy.
We have a right to know why some programs were allowed to stand, but others were cut.
We have a right to know if the actions by Governor Jindal were political in nature rather than right?We have a right to know exactly what the Administration did to help the legislators fine-tune their budget requests since various legislators claim the Administration did little or nothing.We also have a right to know if these projects were duplicative services and what specific services are available.And, yes, we have a right to know if some of the “investments” that made the final cut are going to friends of the Governor or perhaps to his donors.
The problem with the process--is we just don’t know any of the answers to any of these questions.That is why only a veto session where legislators can justify their requests and where the Jindal administration can justify its cuts, is necessary.
His cuts also came at a suspicious time.Last week, Governor Jindal vetoed legislation that would have allowed the public to begin to learn more about the contributions or loans made to him (and other government officials) along with jobs those officials granted,He vetoed that legislation when he should have allowed so we can achieve full transparency.So, in reality, it is not far fetch to wonder if some that did make the “A” team were ousted in favor of those who made contributions to Jindal’s campaign or his transition team or his inauguration.These questions should be asked so any suspicion would be laid to rest.
As things stand now unless there is a veto override session, we will just continue living in the dark.We will continue wondering why certain programs were allowed and others were killed.And, we will continue spending thirty billion dollars as an investment into our future while cutting 258 programs which total amounts of the cut is not a hair on a pimple of an ant by comparison to the total budget.We will continue not knowing anything about Governor Jindal’s (and other officials) finances and allocation of jobs.And last, we will continue calling certain programs pork and earmarks when we know nothing about the benefits to the communities of most of these programs, but, it is just very vogue for us to use these words so we can resound one big “gotcha”.
It is called greed....................................... Written by
on 7/22/2008
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Traffic deaths fall as gas prices climb.... By MARK WILLIAMS,.. AP Business Writer
2 hours, 11 minutes ago... COLUMBUS, Ohio - Rising prices at the gas pump appear to be having at least one positive effect: Traffic deaths around the country are plummeting, just as they did during the Arab oil embargo three decades ago........................................... So why are insurance rates rising???? It would appear that cost isn't taken into account, but rather price and profit is....... So now the remaining road warriors have to spend more to keep the profit margins up for the few....... Instead of them simply realizing, 'that is what the market will bear' they have opted instead to take a 'value' approach and cause their sequestered topic to 'bear more' regardless of the needs in other sectors of commerce or industry......
Written by
on 7/22/2008
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The Veto’s……………………. I pick Riz Up LA, and YMCA as prime examples out of many………………… That do not warrant a Veto over ride……. Why? Pretty simple. The most important would be across the board affects…. Riz Up, and the singled out YMCA do not have any impact on the entire state of Louisiana…… They could disappear tomorrow (not that this would be a situation I am advocating, so bear with me oh cyberspace nitpickers) and no one, in contrast, would notice……… What these two out of many entities have decided is that instead of having fundraisers, going door to door for contributions, standing on street corners ringing bells, standing at stop signs at intersections with buckets and collecting nickels and dimes and giving away a tootsie-roll, or having drawings or raffles, etc., etc., etc…. they instead want to tie up legislators time, and session time having bills written on the taxpayers dime to collect money they are too lazy to go out and generate their selves……… When in comparison or reality their actual needs a very few…… And easily acquired through a little effort…. It isn’t as if they are proposing to provide offshore barrier islands or floodwalls or anything like that…………………………. And those type of things impact directly or indirectly every citizen of the state of Louisiana, if not the rest of the nation as well…… So folks, one would have to ask…… WHAT ARE THE PRIORITIES?????????? Written by ...................STRONGCONCRETE.................
on 7/21/2008
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northshore, you make a really good point about the "100 recall petitions, not six." Steve, I think maybe we should have a veto override session after all and, while we're at it, get your earlier recommendations for making the recall of elected officials more realistic, i.e. "easier," placed on the agenda as well. THEN we will get somewhere. Written by Jacob Sulzbach, Lafayette, La.
on 7/19/2008
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Priorities..... Coastal restoration/protection................. New Orleans (sighhhhhhh)............... Balance the budget.................. onward.......... Written by
on 7/19/2008
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Jindal did just the right thing. At some point in our lives we have got to understand that government cannot supply every organization funding for some pet project. Look at the list. NONE of the "pork" is a necessity for life. Take the pulse of the people and I will guarantee you that 75% of the people support his veto...every one of them! If the veto session is called, there will be 100 recall petitions, not six. Written by northshore
on 7/19/2008
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I am willing to entertain arguments that any budgetary line-item which has been vetoed should be overridden if it can be demonstrated that its funding will return future assets to the state. I am not in favor of allocating our all-too-scarce resources for activities, projects, organizations, or enterprises who will use these funds for immediate consumption after which additional allocations will be required to replace their current budgetary allotments. We must concentrate on growing the small pie that is the Louisiana economy rather than continuing to dole out large slices for immediate relief. Show me the assets that will be created first. Written by Jacob Sulzbach, Lafayette, La.
on 7/18/2008
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No Doris, one of the reasons we suffer the coastal erosion problem is the waste of time, finances and energy by CWPPRA oversite committees, and the Governors office of coastal restoration, and engineers and everything else on the COE payroll, and the state payroll...... And this will continue... They have been getting around 50 mill a year since? 92? 93? I don't remember, don't even care... They are a white elephant......... Louisiana has to repay 1+ billion to the feds... Our Con reps are trying to drag it out for 30 yrs.? Instead the fed says 3? Louisiana is not the only affected region, and in 30 years consider what will happen in other regions.... We simply must reduce the costs of effecting prudent protection mediums... Plain and simple.............. Written by ..............STRONGCONCRETE......................
on 7/18/2008
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Steve i agree with you, an override session must be called, just to kill all the tension between the excutive and legislative branches of this state.And i have contacted my state senator's office and my representative to demand an override session.Steve i would have been happy if gov.ali baba would have funded a few port-o-potties on canal and claiborne let alone a homeless shelter.Hadji and his kind is why america is sinking to third world status, and china is becoming what america was, this country is on it's last breath. Written by anthony
on 7/17/2008
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Come on, the reason that the feds did not bail out the N.O. fiasco is cause they did not want it to rebuild. A stinkhole in a flood zone. I think that they did the right thing. Clean out the corruption, fraud, crime, etc. and instead of having it all in one spot to fester, spread it out and maybe, just maybe, some of these knuckleheads will conform to society and improve their own status, without a lifetime of govenment suport. Seems like a good plan. You can't just pour money after money to a fraud zone. Written by Chiefpete
on 7/17/2008
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Strong, you are right. that is my point. There are great needs in Louisiana that we cannot afford, such as coastal erosion, hurricane protection and infrastrucgture deficiencies. But, our president has not cared which is why we do not have category 3 protection right now. Since Katrina, all we did was patch the holes in the areas that failed. we have had to fight tooth and nail to get any funding and when it did come, it dribbled. but the money flowed in Iraq. Just think. Louisiana is part of America and Iraq are purple finger who deserve democracy but they are not Americans. Written by Doris Clark
on 7/17/2008
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Well then Doris Clarke,,, are you perhaps implying that we in Louisiana have taken our eyes off the ball as well? You know, erosion protection, hurricane protection, etc., etc. and using the dollars spent wisely?????? Quite being such an ankle... Written by ...............STRONGCONCRETE.....................
on 7/17/2008
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I agree with Steve. Pork is in the belly of the beholder or th eater. Any group, whether the right, the left, the moderates have their pet projects. They try to push them through for funding. It is worse in Louisiana since there is hardly any private money available. Those projects that did get funded are probably just as much pork as any other, which is why we need a session so we know why some were so honored with dollars and others were not. Sharon, if George Bush wanted money to flow to Louisiana and to New Orleans, he would have put together his own funding projects. He did not want it. He prefered fighting a war in Iraq to save his family name after taking the ball off the real culprit in Afghanistan. That is why tacking on provisions on funding bills are sometimes necessary. It is called hard ball by a state that had no ability to get back on its feet after the major blow it took after Katrina. Why did George Bush not come up with his own appropriations package for Louisiana as he did with the supplementals? I think we know his priorities. Written by Doris Clark
on 7/17/2008
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Yeah steve, that is like asking what the difference between a waffle and a pancake is......... Give up? Simple.................... A waffle is like a pancake with a syrup trap................... Nayuck-nuck-nuck-nuck-nuck.................
Written by
on 7/17/2008
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Sometimes I fall asleep at night with my clothes on. I'm going to have all my clothes made out of blankets. That should keep the confusion down to a minimum...
Written by
on 7/17/2008
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When it comes to defining pork one has to measure how expenditures directly benefit the constituency across the board as a unified whole…………………………….. Take Hoover dam for instance……….. A most impressive structure… I first visited it when I was 3………… Since then (although not anymore thanks to terrorists) I have been in every nook a cranny of that place…. I used to love hanging around there and watch them switch out turbines, and do maintenance….. It paid for itself in a very short time….. Through the electricity it generated… Even the highway that leads to it got payback from funding just in the energy it created… Look at Las Vegas… Unbelievable, and aside from Buggsy and his associates, and nuclear testing, that town was brought about because of the presence of the Hoover dam…. And look at Louisiana with its pitiful gambling casinos and riverboats….. The money generated from those were supposed to take care of our educational spending…. And here we are still listening to crap about a lack of funding for our education system………………. I GUESS THE GAMING SYSTEM BROUGHT IN AROUND 3+ BILLION LAST YEAR……………………….. So there you go Steve…………… PORK…………………….. or is that simply a case of PORK & MISMANAGEMENT………..????????????????????? Written by .....................STRONGCONCRETE...............
on 7/17/2008
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Steve, you stated/asked; “””””””””We have a right to know why some programs were allowed to stand, but others were cut.””””””””””””””” Pretty simple there Steve,………… three little letters….. NGO…. And Bingo is my name-o………………………….. There was a farmer who had a hog and Bingo was his name-o…. B-I-N-G-OOOOOOOOOOOOOH,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, B-I-N-G-O and Bingo was its name…oh…………………. You see steve, when you go to see the wizard of woz, you will find you have to take the needs of the little munchkins into account, and decide what you are prepared to do, and how it is you can do it….. You may as well go drilling for answers, I am sure something might spring up……….. Ahhhhh nuances, procrastinations, the whole miserable outlook that faces us as a nation……………………….. Written by .....................STRONGCONCRETE...............
on 7/17/2008
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Go one step further - every bill should stand alone - much of what our legislators "tack on" to other bills not only have nothing too do with the bill in question - but more importantly - would never pass as a "stand alone" piece of legislation. Which only shows how needless and wasteful they are. Written by kpf
on 7/17/2008
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Funding for our military regardless of the reason should be a Stand Alone Bill every time. It is a "must pass" bill. It is a matter of life and death. Katrina funds and any other funds tacked on to this "must pass" bill is pork because it has nothing to do with funding our troops. There should be a way to be honest and put all these state projects in a bill that is presented for what it is. Jindal vetoed some projects though worthy should not be paid for with state funds. Good for him. Written by Sharon
on 7/17/2008
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Pork Steve, are things like Riz-Up! La.... YMCA, and of course any advertisement funding you may be aquiring as the result of some politician, or state agency, etc..... But in the end, it is all just a grand hypocricy... Written by
on 7/17/2008
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As legislators begin to turn in their rejection slips for a recall section, I ask--what is political pork?
