Senior Senator Demands Justice Department Investigation During Economic Crisis
By Steven A. Castleton
July 10, 2009
Days ago a senior Republican Senator, realizing the severity of the economic crisis gripping the country and the escalation of violence in Afghanistan, acted in the best interests (?) of all Americans when he demanded a Justice Department Investigation.
Republicans have blasted President Obama and the "Democrat owned Congress" for "the $16.1 million from the stimulus program that is going to save the San Francisco Bay area habitat of, among other things, the endangered salt marsh harvest mouse."
Other Republicans screamed when CNN's American Morning aired a report on the Democrats' trillion-dollar "stimulus" spending bill that isn't creating jobs and the escalating feud it has sparked among Washington Democrats in the wake of ongoing American job losses. The CNN piece highlighted a web video recently released by House Republicans that asked "Where Are the Jobs?" The web video shines a spotlight on several wasteful projects bankrolled by the taxpayer-funded trillion-dollar "stimulus" and underscores the lack of jobs created by the massive spending binge. As the CNN report notes, Democrats in control of Washington are "all over the map" on the "stimulus," the lack of jobs that it has created, and what to do next".
They further said: The nation's unemployment rate stands at 9.5 percent -- the worst in 26 years -- with the President himself saying that it will top 10 percent in the coming months despite the Administration's claim in January that with the stimulus the unemployment rate would not top eight percent if the stimulus became law.
According to Citizens Against Government Waste, which is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, mismanagement and abuse in government, here are some outrageous examples of wasteful spending that members of the House recently asked for in our "national Interest":
$4,545,000 for wood utilization in 10 states by House appropriator David Price (D-N.C.) and Reps. G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.), Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), Gregg Harper (R-Miss.), Michael H. Michaud (D-Maine), Brad Miller (D-N.C.), Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.), Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.), David Wu (D-Ore.) and Mike Rogers (R-Mich.). This research has cost taxpayers $99.9 million since 1985. One would think that after 25 years of research the wood industry should be picking up the tab for this research.
$3,654,000 for the Center for Grape Genetics in Geneva by House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee member Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Michael Arcuri (D-N.Y.). According to Empire State News, if this funding is approved, Congress will have appropriated a total of $16.8 million for the center. New York's wine and grape industries generate $6 billion annually in sales. (Hey we have the Mets, Jets and Islanders and don't forget the Knicks, so we do drink a lot)
$2,908,000 for shrimp aquaculture by Reps. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii), Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Solomon Ortiz (D-Texas), and Ed Pastor (D-Ariz.) in Hawaii, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, and Arizona. One can only ask Forrest Gump how many shrimp there are frying in the deserts of Arizona.
$1,438,000 for tropical aquaculture feeds in Hilo by Reps. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii). According to Rep. Hirono's website, funds will be used to "continue work to define requirements for these species, evaluate the use of tropical byproducts in aquatic feeds, including those from biodiesel production, and modify feed processing methods to improve nutrient utilization and optimize feed stability and cost."
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