Citizen’s Against Government Waste put together a list of the most egregious examples of pork in the defense budget. It’s disgusting.
$3,385,000,000 added anonymously for four projects. This figure equates to 44.7 percent of the dollar amount included for earmarks in the bill. According to the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007, signed into law on September 14, 2007 by President George W. Bush, members of Congress are required to add their name to each earmark. However, they continue to violate this law by adding anonymous earmarks to fund projects – often big-ticket items – at the expense of taxpayers.
$2,500,000,000 added anonymously for ten additional C-17 aircraft. In a floor statement posted on his website, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) voiced his opposition to the C-17 funding: “[w]hat we would do in this bill is effectively fund the purchase of new aircraft that we neither need nor can afford with critical sustainment money. That would have a significant impact on our ability to provide the day-to-day operational funding that our servicemen and women and their families deserve.”
$465,000,000 added anonymously for the F136 alternate engine program. According to a November 10, 2009 Reuters article, deliveries of the F136 alternate engine will be delayed by one year. Built by General Electric and Rolls-Royce, the alternate engine program has had two major setbacks in as many months. In October, F136 testing was halted when a nut came loose, damaging turbine blades in the engine. Top military officials, former President Bush, President Obama, the Office of Management and Budget, and independent analysts all agree that the alternate engine should be eliminated. The project is expensive, unnecessary, and only survives because of pork-barrel politics.
$250,000,000 added anonymously for advance procurement of components for the two DDG-51 destroyers planned in fiscal year 2011. According to a September 29, 2009 Associated Press article, the DDG-51 destroyer is “to be built in Pascagoula, Miss., home to Republican Sen. Thad Cochran….” Senate Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), Sens. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), John Kerry (D-Mass.), and Paul Kirk (D-Mass.), and Rep. Travis Childers (D-Miss.) added $8,100,000 for a hybrid drive system for the DDG-51 destroyer.
ABC News also reported the waste in the spending bill, including the C-17′s the Department of Defense doesn’t even want. Later Charles Gibson asked President Obama if he’ll sign the bill even though it contains so much pork. Obama said something like “Well, I know there’s a lot of pork in there, but I have no choice but to sign the bill.” Well, he could have sent a message to Congress to send him a bill that doesn’t include a any pork. Maybe point out Pelosi’s recent promise to address the deficit. She could start by cutting out the lard. He could have vetoed the omnibus bill that increased spending. But the truth is, he has no problem with wasteful spending. He likes it.
I’m a bit torn LC. I have a hard time nit picking military spending. At least there is something somewhat tangible that we’re spending on and it does theoretically help defense. I don’t know about “Citizens Against Government Waste” but I do know that any MSM outlet (ABC) would salivate in any opportunity to damage the military. Obama loathes the military, but he uses legislative vehicles like these to “grease the skids” to further his agenda. I’m sure he’s calculated the ROI to be in his favor or he would never sign it. Not to condone, but this is simply normal horse trading in Washington D. C., always at the taxpayers’ expense, but hopefully this pork will hoof it in the right direction.
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That’s what I love about conservatives. They act as if the government can’t tie its own shoe, except for their sacred cow, the defense sector, which they seem to think is super-competent. Common sense would tell you that with all the money spent on defense and the history of corruption (Randy “Duke” etc.), there’s a huge amount of unneeded pork and corruption in the defense sector. If we’re going to get rid of these penny-ante scientific grants that irk conservatives so much, we need to also get rid of huge spending for weapons systems that even the military doesn’t want.
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What really gets me is that they did the defense budget seperately, so they can split things up and further hide how much they’re spending from the American people. And they knew in doing so they could pork up yet another bill with their pet spending projects. And both parties are involved. I’m all for giving the military what they ask for. But they load the defense bill up with pork knowing it won’t get vetoed and knowing it’ll pass with little question. And they violated the law by having those anonymous earmarks. The least they could do is attach their names to it.
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I wonder who, whom or what is the enforcement mechanism for the blatant “anonymous” infractions. This is a clear violation, so would it be the Senate and House leaders, or Eric Holder? If it was you or I, we would be speaking to federal authorities but let me guess; they Al Gored it, “There is no controlling legal authority that says this was in violation of law.” And so it rests upon us, the voters.
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That’s a good question. I’m not sure, but I would assume Reid and Pelosi would know who the anonymous earmarkers are. So at best, they’re providing cover.
On the bright side, at least conservatives are more motivated than ever to vote.
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