www.politico.com
July 17, 2007
Read More: Spending What's in your wallet?
What's a paltry one million dollars to a member of Congress?
Well, apparently not enough to know if an organization about to receive that big block of cash actually exists.
Republican Rep. Jeff Flake of Arizona, the fiscal crusader who's never met an earmark he likes, questioned Democratic Rep. Peter J. Visclosky of Indiana on the House floor Tuesday about whether the Center for Instrumented Critical Infrastructure actually exists - since, hey, it's getting like a million bucks or something.
Visclosky, who chairs the spending subcommittee responsible for the project, had to admit that, well, he didn't have a clue.
After a lengthy back-and-forth, Flake, complaining that his staff couldn't find a website for the center, asked Visclosky, "Does the center currently exist?"
"At this time, I do not know," the Indiana Democrat replied. "But if it does not exist, the monies could not go to it."
And who could possibly be the sponsor of such an earmark? Yes, you guessed it, the man Republicans love to hate, Pennsylvania Democrat John P. Murtha.
Despite the money's uncertain destination, the House rejected Flake's measure to strike the funds, 326-98. And the Visclosky bill also sailed through, 312-112.
As I said, what's one million dollars to a member of Congress?
UPDATE: I failed to report last night that a certificate filed with the requested funds says the money is actually earmarked to Concurrent Technologies Corporation, a nonprofit technological consulting firm. A brief search of campaign finance records shows CTC President and CEO Daniel R. DeVos, of alternately Central City and Johnstown, Pa. has contributed $7,000 to Murtha's reelection campaign since April 2002.
Replies
4Beach Comber
When are people going to start looking at this as their money? If you went to a company and contracted them to landscape your yard and they spent the money out drinking you would be pissed and you would hold them liable. The government should be held to the same standard after all it is our money they so freely spend.
Skunky
If people didn't have automatic witholding from their paychecks they might be motivated to do something. If we actually had to write a check every April 15 for our taxes, change would come; so many people have been hoodwinked and think they get their money back via a refund when they file their return (thus don't care about how their taxes are spent)
SoWal ExpertAuthor
If people didn't have automatic witholding from their paychecks they might be motivated to do something. If we actually had to write a check every April 15 for our taxes, change would come; so many people have been hoodwinked and think they get their money back via a refund when they file their return (thus don't care about how their taxes are spent)Since money is taken out of every paycheck, by the gov't, I think people should actually receive the entire amount of the paycheck, then, have to write a check back to the Gov't with every paycheck accepted. Then, and only then, would the average person be pissed at the amounts the gov't is taking. The amount that the gov't is spending is well beyond what they are taking, and that still won't be known by the avg person, or above avg person.
SoWal Expert
Caught part of the movie "Dave" this weekend. The scenes where he brings in his small town accountant to trim the budget and then has various people attempt to defend what they are spending millions on say it all!
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