Paying for Sandy
All of us taxpayers are -- to the tune of $60.4 Billion Dollars -- but it is all going to repair people's houses and strengthen the infrastructure right?
No???
From the
New York Post:
Obama Sandy aid bill filled with holiday goodies unrelated to storm damage
President Obama�s $60.4 billion request for Hurricane Sandy relief has morphed into a huge Christmas stocking of goodies for federal agencies and even the state of Alaska, The Post has learned.
The pork-barrel feast includes more than $8 million to buy cars and equipment for the Homeland Security and Justice departments. It also includes a whopping $150 million for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to dole out to fisheries in Alaska and $2 million for the Smithsonian Institution to repair museum roofs in DC.
More:
Other big-ticket items in the bill include $207 million for the VA Manhattan Medical Center; $41 million to fix up eight military bases along the storm�s path, including Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; $4 million for repairs at Kennedy Space Center in Florida; $3.3 million for the Plum Island Animal Disease Center and $1.1 million to repair national cemeteries.
This is political cronyism at its finest. Our tax dollars are being spent to fund contributors pet projects.
From
The Washington Times:
Porked-up Sandy relief bill storms into Senate
The Senate�s emergency spending bill to cover costs from Hurricane Sandy includes millions of dollars that will never touch the affected Northeast � including money for salmon fisheries in Alaska, cash for an expansion of train service into New York, and funds to preserve and repair historic properties.
Lawmakers begin debating the bill Monday on the Senate floor, where the first thing they will confront is the size and scope of the $60.4 billion package, which aims to repair damage and to build protection against storms.
President Obama submitted his wish list to Congress, but senators added their own priorities. For example, Mr. Obama asked for $32 million to repair part of the Amtrak rail system not covered by insurance, but the Senate multiplied that request more than tenfold, to $336 million, with the extra money going to cover Amtrak�s operating losses and to increase train capacity into New York City.
The Sandy recovery bill also includes more than $500 million for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which amounts to a full tenth of what the agency spends per year, nationwide.
This is disgusting. A am saddened by how far our great nation has fallen.
Posted by DaveH at December 17, 2012 7:02 PM