Wasteful Spending
The bridge collapse in Minnesota has many wondering if Congress has been spending our tax dollars wisely. Federal highway money should be spent exclusively to keep the nation’s roads, bridges and other key infrastructure safe.
Instead of spending more money on safer roads and bridges our tax dollars are being spent on Congressional pork projects. Congress has just approved money for what government watchdogs charge are wasteful projects.
Despite the protests over wasteful government spending, in the aftermath of the Minnesota bridge collapse, we continue to get congressional pet projects. The Senate transportation and housing bill is stuffed with $2 billion in pork. The earmarks include $450,000 for the International Peace Garden in North Dakota, and half a million for a new baseball stadium in Billings, Montana.
We have the largest number out of compliance bridges in our history, but Congress is making a choice to spend money on pet projects rather than the high priority projects.
A report from the Transportation Department’s inspector general discovered more than $8 billion in pet projects last year. They concluded many earmarked projects, which we’re considered low priority have been funded over higher priority non-earmark projects.
Members of Congress are addicted to earmarks and are getting more sophisticated in hiding their pet projects, by replacing the word "earmark" with the phrase "congressional directed spending."
In the House, a new transportation bill calls for a 5-cent hike in the gas tax for bridge repairs, but it also includes $250,000 for a new bike path located in the Minnesota district of the Transportation Committee chairman, Jim Oberstar, a cycling enthusiast.
My wife and I are cycling enthusiasts and have traveled all over America to ride exceptionally beautiful bike paths. However, we would prefer to get to them on safe roads and bridges.
Instead of spending more money on safer roads and bridges our tax dollars are being spent on Congressional pork projects. Congress has just approved money for what government watchdogs charge are wasteful projects.
Despite the protests over wasteful government spending, in the aftermath of the Minnesota bridge collapse, we continue to get congressional pet projects. The Senate transportation and housing bill is stuffed with $2 billion in pork. The earmarks include $450,000 for the International Peace Garden in North Dakota, and half a million for a new baseball stadium in Billings, Montana.
We have the largest number out of compliance bridges in our history, but Congress is making a choice to spend money on pet projects rather than the high priority projects.
A report from the Transportation Department’s inspector general discovered more than $8 billion in pet projects last year. They concluded many earmarked projects, which we’re considered low priority have been funded over higher priority non-earmark projects.
Members of Congress are addicted to earmarks and are getting more sophisticated in hiding their pet projects, by replacing the word "earmark" with the phrase "congressional directed spending."
In the House, a new transportation bill calls for a 5-cent hike in the gas tax for bridge repairs, but it also includes $250,000 for a new bike path located in the Minnesota district of the Transportation Committee chairman, Jim Oberstar, a cycling enthusiast.
My wife and I are cycling enthusiasts and have traveled all over America to ride exceptionally beautiful bike paths. However, we would prefer to get to them on safe roads and bridges.
1 Comments:
Jim, the Transportation Department is the office where my daughter-in-law works. Also, Rep. Oberstar is her boss. He is also the guy that Hayden met on his first trip to Congress.
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