Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Oyster Rehab is not a Republican Issue, or a Democratic Issue. It's an American Issue.

I'm sorry. I didn't want to make this a political blog but I can't help myself. I do promise that I will at least research before I write.

And I did research (read: someone needs a life). I looked thru a chunk of the earmarks in the federal budget. Now, $7.7 billion is pocket change to what our new government, drunk with power, have thrown around BUT you all voted for change...and you ain't getting it.

Candidate Obama in the first presidential debate: "Absolutely, we need earmark reform. And when I'm president, I will go line by line to make sure that we are not spending money unwisely."

Hey, O, I think you missed this line:

$800,000 Oyster Rehabilitation in Alabama

Who the heck gave those oysters enough alcohol that they needed rehab?

And just to show this isn't a one sided rant - that one was an Republican earmark...shame. SHAME. Hard to stand up for small government when you ask for $800k for your oyster constituents, Senator Shelby. You idiot.

Wait, Oysters must be vital to our economic recovery plan because here is another one that must have missed Obama's personal line by line study:

$2 MILLION for Chesapeake Bay Oyster Recovery MD & VA

Wait, one more, I am off the Oysters now even tho those were NOT the only two earmarks for those slimy little things, seriously...:

"To the city of Billings, MT $296,000 to purchase digital video cameras, a tactical blanket system and a tactical armored security vehicle"

What the hell is a tactical blanket? Oh...


Billings, Montana has a violent crime rate of 186 incidents per 100,000 people compared with a rate of 596 nationally. Yes, they definately needed to spend $300k on a tank.

No, I am not against stuff to protect police officers - BUT if Billings, MT wants a tank for their cops and Alabama wants to have an intervention for their oysters then let the citizens of Billings and Alabama pay for it while the Federal government focuses on the big problems like maybe buying tanks and armor for those guys fighting those wars over there...

But I AM against broken campaign promises from someone who preached change, hope, rainbows and unicorns. Yes we can. Si se puede.

And the defense of "Well Bush did it too, he was a horrible president, Cheney is Satan's spawn!" will only get you laughed at after my eyes stop rolling. He is gone, move on and focus on the new guy and hold him to the same standards of scrutiny and accountablity to do what he said he would do.

Plus Bush never campaigned on change and hope and reform (it was more like war, pestilence and evil)...Where is the same level of outrage to the same old bad government for the new guy? Or are we too busy ogling the First Lady's guns in those dresses she wears? Focus, people. Make sure you got what you voted for. Reforming earmarks was an easy one, what about when we ge to the hard stuff?

See I do research my rants. I am still hurting from someone calling me an "uninformed conservative". So there.

Link to Earmarks: http://www.taxpayer.net/resources.php?category=&type=Project&proj_id=1961&action=Headlines%20By%20TCS

3 comments:

  1. Oh Rudy you break my heart. Are you seriously telling me you researched oyster rehab? You need to attend my oyster workshop that I teach at the museum. Oyster rehab is vital to the Atlantic and Gulf states' economy (including your own precious Chesapeake). You may not eat the slimy gonads, but don't you like clean water? Call me! I can tell you how to ID the oyster gills, rectum, and anus right before you swallow it whole smothered in champagne mignionette.

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  2. Oyster rehab may sound silly to you but The Oyster Reef Restoration Project is vital to the oyster industry. The Oyster industry is a vital part of the Alabama coastal economy. IT PROVIDES JOBS to a lot of people!! All the talk about earmarks is just more political grandstanding. If your senators and representatives aren't appropriating money for their districts then they aren't doing their jobs!!! Like it or not, we live in a consumer/spending driven economy. If money isn't being spent then goods and services aren't needed and people loose jobs and companies go out of business and more people loose jobs.......well, you get the point.

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  3. Dear Tim, Whoever you are. I lost my job at an internet company that did email marketing for restaurants chains. Where is my earmark? That's 50 people's jobs! We need $5M - why didn't the federal government give it to us? Why do some people get $ and other's dont?

    My point is the process is broken. Most of the 9000 earmarks are issues the states should decide to spend money on not the federal government. Every political argument I ever make rests on the conservative (not Republican - even they are acting like kids with their hand in a giant cookie jar - giving away a cookie to everyone who asks) ideal of small federal government. There are certain decisions the federal government should make, and others that should be left to the states. The federal government is getting too big and scary. Read: Pelosi said today that we need to leave the door open for more stimulus money when we have no evidence that last trillion has even worked (half of which wsa during the Republican President and half with a Democrat - so both are at fault - see I am not political!)

    Give the money back to the states without earmarks so they can make the right decisions for their local issues.

    I criticize both parties for earmarks.

    I chose the Oyster issue cause it was kinda funny (rehab, hahaha) - I have been educated by a good friend that this issue does affect a number of states so this issue could be argued to be a federal level problem. It's not the oyster issue specifically- the process is broken and is skewed towards the states with more senior members of congress. There are 9000 earmark winners and the rest lose out because of the process not because of the merit of the project.

    I only allow one email exchange on political issues on my blog - back and forth political debate via typing doesn't work. Thanks for reading and thanks for your opinion.

    (I am not against criticism esp if I am wrong on facts (not opinion) so if you want to have a rebuttal, comment again with your email address and I will give you my email address - I just don't want a long debate in my comments section)

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