Fiscal Responsibility? Not from this Congress…

“The City of North Pole, Alaska (motto: “Where the Spirit of Christmas Lives Year Round”) gets $1 million to improve its wastewater treatment system. That’s $571.43 dollar per citizen”
They will need that for all of the waste that comes out of their Governor’s mouth.

Each of these items is a particular and complex issue. Much of this so-called pork is actually necessary spending needed to preserve crop production, save human lives and facilitate commerce. Actual pork comes in the form of million dollar bonuses for CEO’s, money that disappears from the economy by being spent on useless and overpriced luxury items like second mansions and corporate jets.
Unless you are willing to carefully research and intelligently discuss each issue, which as a responsible journalist you should be willing to do, please refrain from expressing pointless and uninformed opinions.

It’s easy to point at line items and laugh at them if you have no idea what they are intended to do. “Oh, haw haw, honey bees, how absurd.” Well, in fact, honey bee research is vital to our agriculture industry, which depends upon them for pollination. Similarly, Mormon Crickets are a huge pest, and cause massive trouble in Utah. But I’m sure it’s easier to just sit back and call them “pork” without actually doing any, you know, reporting. Weird that I would expect a reporter to actually report the facts, isn’t it.
And peanut research? Insane! Unless, uh, we just had a major health scare with our peanut industry. Fortunately that hasn’t happened. Er…
Also, note that virtually all of these projects will, in fact, create jobs. How crazy that a stimulus bill would create jobs. Wacky stuff.

AMERICA is FINISHED!!!!!! WE clearly see here what the pinheads and corrupt politicians have done. We will never recover because Obama has added millions more to the welfare rolls with his so called stimulus and appointing people who will usher in tens of millions more illegal Mexicans-never mind that tens of thousands of them will be hard core drug dealers. Have your children been sold out—you betcha–thanks George Bush, Obama, McCain, Lindsey Graham, Napitano, Solis and all the rest of the Washington sellouts. Why have we allowed this sellout? Liberal republicans and democrats are idiots and evil that is for sure!!!!!

Well, congressmen are voted in to represent the interests of their constituents. So if these projects are for the benefit of the people in their districts, I would say they are doing their jobs!

The inference in your headline accentuates the ignorance of so many in this county as it relates to the sciences. If you know anything about science you have to know that all living things have the same DNA language and to understand even plants can lead to a better understanding of our lives and the lives of organisms that have a direct impact on our existence. It’s much easier to study generation after generation of grapes as oppose to humans or large mammals. How long would you have to conduct research to follow five generation of even apes as oppose to plants. Obama is on the right track in pushing us to become more science conscious and smart. You show the honey bee lab listed above. Are aware that the fruits you eat depend on pollination by honey bees and that the population of honey bees has been dramatically declining in America. We now have to import bees from Australia just to insure decent crops across this country. Talk about devastating the economy – just imagine shifting from depending on foreign company’s for fuel to depending on them for apples, oranges, peaches, corn, wheat, etc. Get your heads out of your ideological holes and become more learned than your inferences indicate.

Since when does science = lard?
Construction jobs are not the only ones which need protecting/stimulating! It’s about time we see the bigger picture and recognise that if we are too recover, as a nation (and even as a planet); all memembers of the population need to be able to benifit. Including scientist and artist etc.
Rick et al you should know better. The Note is increasingly becoming just a nah saying blog.

The only ‘doozy’, as written by the author, to report here is the level of ignorance of the reporter. The food and fiber security this nation enjoys (and is taken for granted by people such as the writer) was built on publically funded research. This kind of research is long term and returns a slow, but incredibly stable investment. Not the kind a privately owned company would invest in but the kind needed to build sustainability in our nation’s food security. This is either lazy reporting or reporting as the result of a poor educational background. Reminds me of Sarah Palin and her ignorant criticism of fruit fly research that is benefitting our understanding of human health. Our country is in trouble when our reporters become some of the least informed among us.

Business as usual. The Dems just passed a pork laden bill. They don’t get the picture. I hope the American people let them know exactly how they feel. These earmarks for grapes, rodents and unnecessary expenditures need to be stopped. Our legislators take us for granted and that the money will always flow.

Tim, you crack me up. You are a well spoken individual but…”Actual pork comes in the form of million dollar bonuses for CEO’s, money that disappears from the economy by being spent on useless and overpriced luxury items like second mansions and corporate jets.” Disappears from the economy Tim?? Isn’t buying stuff pumping money back into the economy? Keeps all those mansion and jet builders employed, they need thier jobs too! And as long as these CEOs are keeping thousands of people employed (and doing right by them), the company profitable, growing and fiscally strong, at the same time being environmentally aware, I don’t care how big the bonus is. It’s when they are losing money and laying people off and the company is going to the dogs, yet they still pay themselves millions that you need to cry foul and they need to be held accountable. Any of us would be fired if our job performance were that bad. But don’t let class envy distort your views so. It’s not a zero sum game. It’s not like there is only so much cash out there and the more they make the less there is for the rest of us. Doesn’t work that way. And are you positive “Much of this so-called pork is actually necessary spending needed to preserve crop production, save human lives and facilitate commerce.” You know this for a fact? Where is your data coming from? You’re sure it’s necessary Federal spending? Is it possible some of these things would be better served on the State level? I don’t know, I am asking. But I humbly direct you to your own last paragraph. To others…why is it when someone doesn’t agree with you they are automatically ignorant or uninformed? Someone can’t have a point in there some where that doesn’t match what you believe with out being stupid? Is there no such thing as a difference in opinion anymore? We all need to slow down, breath deeply and realize we are all in this together and start treating each other with a little more respect whether we agree or not. Anger and hate are not going to convince anyone to rethink their position. Be calm, stick with facts that you KNOW, and relax. If you’re as right as you think you are, time will vindicate you. You don’t have to force feed it. In the meantime all the angry words and name calling is accomplishing nothing, except to make you look worse than the person you are firing at.

Is anyone really surprised?

From reading all the posts….ABC News’ Jonathan Karl better find a new career cause you sure missed the target on this story. Better get out there and chase some ambulances for stories. This is a spending bill…so what did you expect? Now go look at the stimulus bill and give us your thoughts.

I see many, many valid points here. I am mostly intrigued by the money for shrimp aquaculture research…in Arizona, aka, the desert! Seems out of place, but it is out of context, so what do I know?

I’m all for Swine odor control. Ever lived near a pig farm?
I just don’t get the outrage. Americans elected a liberal Democratic President and liberal Democratic Congress. There’s going to be massive spending increases and lots of pork. What’s the big deal?
Did people think that Democrats are going to become fiscal conservatives? They’re Democrats, they spend! Get use to it.

Let’s see…without bees many crops are non existant–and the bees are dying off. Many informed individuals are aware of the beneficial effect of red wine on the cardiovascular system–why not use genetic info to determine how to increase the effect? If you were aware of the health impacts of industrial farm animal production you would want research done because those impacts have severe ramifications on public health. Swine odor is simply an indicator of problems we cannot see.
I would suggest you do more research before you write another such “critical review.”

Looks to me like Mr Klein needs to get outside the Beltway and talk to some people who actually work for a living, like a few farmers.

In a half-hour segment on “Meet the Press” on Sunday, the varying threads of the GOP political psychology came into sharp contrast.
On one side sat Charlie Crist, the Moderate Republican Governor of the state of Florida, who not only openly campaigned for the president’s stimulus package but also sent some very public plaudits the Obama’s way.
“I think there is a national leader, his name is President Obama,” he told host David Gregory when asked if his own party had national leaders.
“The people elected him. And I’m willing to give him a good shot and try to help make this work.
We’re in a tough time, as we talked about before.
I think we do need to be bipartisan. We need to be, in fact, nonpartisan. We’re all Americans. Our country is at a dire point and we need to do everything we can to work together to get America through this.”
Pressed as to whether he thought “the president has the right prescription to ease this recession,” the Florida Republican replied, without pausing:
“I think he’s on the right track.” Asked if he thought it was a mistake for “the Republican Party to define itself by opposition to the stimulus,” he said: “It may be.”
The show’s other guest, Bobby Jindal, did not offer such willing praise for the president.
The Louisiana Governor, known superficially as the conservative Obama, pledged that the party would and should work in a bipartisan fashion. But his pitch was one of philosophical defiance, especially on matters like the stimulus.
“The Republican Party has got to offer conservative alternative solutions.
I think our obligation is to work with the president every chance we can, to be bipartisan,” he told Gregory. “We need to work with the president every chance we can.
But on principle we should be unafraid to stand up on principle and to point out our alternative solutions.”
The two governors, both rumored to harbor presidential ambitions, represent the current bookends of Republican thought.
Their appearances on “Meet the Press” underscored the complex question facing the party.
How does the GOP restore its power: through reaffirming principles or expanding its approach?
Not surprisingly, the two had different diagnoses when it came to rebuilding the Republican brand.
JINDAL: “I don’t think we expand by becoming an imitation of the other party.
I think we expand by standing on principle for what we believe in. I think that attracts voters. They may not agree with us on everything, but they will respect our honesty and will respect the results.”
CRIST: “You shouldn’t be the party of no. Well, there’s a time to say no. But I think you need to be a party that works across the aisle, where you participate.
Both [Republicans and Democrats] have to do that. I think it’s important for both Democrats and Republicans to work together for Americans.”

I am against imprudent government spending, but most of these projects sound legitimate. Improving sanitation systems is valid. Keeping the wild population under control is valid. Improving the subway system is valid. Allotting land to the national park service is valid. These aren’t “pork” projects. There are a couple of suspect projects on the list, but most of them all right by me.

Good Grief!!!

THESE ARE NOT WASTEFUL EARMARKS!
It shows rather than being wasteful, many congressmen are making a concerted effort to ensure pressing problems get funding.
2 Examples:
WITHOUT BEES THERE’D BE WORLDWIDE FAMINE – and for unexplained reasons there is a worldwided crash of bee populations. Some crops tended and cared for right now will NEVER PRODUCE thanks to NO BEES! This is critical. If anything this is too late!
IF WE ARE GOING TO CUT FUEL USE – Subway improvements in our major metros is a MUST – building extensions of the NYC subways will help CUT FUEL USAGE in the largest metro in the nation.
BROWN SNAKES have decimated the bird population of guam. If not controlled some now rare species will disappear forever.
LANG ACQUISITION FOR PARKS COSTS MONEY! What is so shocking that the Fed. Govt. allocates money to buy land to expand the national parks?
SHRIMP AQUACULTURE COULD BRING THOUSANDS OF JOBS BACK FROM CHINA – But we have to find ways to do it better and cost effectively vs. a vs. China. That is NOT a given, otherwise those jobs and that industry would have never collapsed in the USA just as it was starting to head to China en masse.
BLACKBIRDS FLOCK IN THE MILLIONS IN THOSE STATES. Without proper control, various bird spread illnesses that can seriously sicken and KILL HUMANS and our pets and livestock are always at high risk of epidemic spread should these blackbird flocks just be allowed to expand by the millions yearly.
WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT IS CRITICAL FOR ALL SPECIES NOW, BECAUSE THERE ARE no WILD SPACES LEFT. The notion that so many of the species that were once common in the USA can fend for themselves is illiterate idiocy
This reporter is simpleton assuming anything spent by the Govt. is a waste.
A bridge to connect a community of 50 people in the middle of nowhere Alaska is a boondoggle, a waste.
BUT THE LARGE MAJORITY OF THINGS ON THIS CLOWN’S LIST ARE WORTHY PROJECTS, AND DESERVE FUNDING.

Chimpy Mc EmptySuit in action.

Ok then… You’ve set the stage for Civil War…Ready?

Chimpy mc Telepromter o’emptysuit will pollinate the Bees! Didn’t you get the memo from God?

What crack journalist Jonathan Karl doesn’t mention is that the projects he mentions (outside of the final two which obviously are necessary infrastructure projects) represent 2/1000ths of 1 percent of the stimulus bill. This article is such false hysteria. Mr. Karl is acting as if 2/1000ths of 1 percent of the bill is rampant runaway recklessness. This is such extremist right wing fearmongering that Mr. Karl comes off looking amateurish at best.

Tim, here’s a thought. Our country can go broke instead.

PLEASE TAKE TIME TO RESERCH: “Cloward-Piven Strategy” Part 1,2,3 of Manufactured Crisis. Please read this

Wow so you have found about $20M of questionable spending in a $410B bill. That’s about 0.005%. So in other words the bill is 99.995% non-pork.
And you’re complaining about what?

Having seen some of the food genetic research, such as was noted about grapes. The federal government funds such research to help make certain food more viable to be grown in countries that are experiencing famines and cannot grow any productive food. So genetic research is being used to combat famine across the globe. Each project should be looked at more in context than just slinging mud at a line item.

Oh, I think I finally understand the conservative position – get rid of ALL government services 100 percent, and let the invisible hand of the market place take care of everything. Well, except for a perhaps a trillion here or there to fight useless wars overseas. But don’t do ANYTHING that promotes civility and opportunity to the people of the United States.

Seriously, do legislative aides for senate and congress continue to lurk around on these boards this long after the election? No one else in their right minds would defend any of this kind of nonsense to an already ridiculous package.

This is suppose to keep the government running to the end of this fiscal year. What do these items mentioned due with running the federal government. Maybe not raw pork but some of it does smell.

Trying to become William Proxmire, who used ignorant critiques of science projects to further his Congressional career?

Hey, can we stop with all the Republican crap and remember that just like all you in the lower 48 (some of whom choose to live in obvious Hurricane zones just as one example…) then it’s okay to expect a bail out…
Hey, this is our home…
North Pole is in serious need of some upgrades… basic service upgrades… I have to have my water tested each year because before waste dumping was regulated they were dumping volatiles into the ground… now there is a plume that runs under my house…
We are a working family.
We pay taxes…
Are we not entitled to the same benefits as everyone else?
I don’t wait in a welfare line to get my check and go home and buy drugs with the money.
How come I have to work to support these people and they don’t have to do anything like community service or anything???
Maybe I should milk the system too, and I would understand all the hate…
Aren’t we all just tryin’ to live???

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
IT TOTALLY SOUNDS LIKE SOMEONE IS “GREASING THE PALMS” OF SOMEONE WHO OWES FAVORS FOR FAVORS. SURE, SOME OF THESE PROJECTS ARE NECESSARY BUT THAT’S NOT WHAT THIS STIM PACKAGE WAS CREATED FOR…

Mormon crickets…. try to drive down a road covered with them, you can’t your car will be in the ditch because it’s like driving on ice. You should look into what you think is pork and make sure you know what your talking about. This is a real problem for Utah and Nevada they destroy crops because the swarm is so big.

My Senator, Saxby Chambliss of Georgia wrote in an email this week “If we do not get a handle on federal spending – including both discretionary and entitlement programs – and make reforms now, we will pass this burden to our children and grandchildren. We must reform our budget process, put an end to wasteful spending and implement the fiscal responsibility that taxpayers demand and deserve.”
Then he puts almost $3 million in the package for poultry research and improving blueberry production.
What an embarrassment! Just like all the others in Washington.

Are we to believe a town in Alaska should not have funding for waste-water treatment because you invoke the name ‘Santa Clause’? One could reasonably argue for mechanisms to have such projects considered for funding by some other mechanism, but your insistence on making them seem trivial is dishonest and disingenuous.

This is a joke. The government is just laughing in our face. I can’t believe there’s people in here actually agreeing with all this pork they’re tossing out. Who’s going to pay for it?
I never it possible that we could have a worse president than Dubya. But Obama has pulled it off.

The growing of successful grapes in this country is a multi million dollar business, in New York and in California for sure, and in other states such as Washington. The wine industry needs such help as studies of genetics of grapes which are hardy and those which cannot be grown in certain climates. So it isn’t pork; it is good farming. I don’t know about some of the other parts of the package but grapes are very important to our economy.

Tim Bishop is an idiot. 2.2 Million dollars to study grape genetics ????
I live in “wine country” , I don’t give a damn if the wineries are here.
What about the # of ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS those wineries employ ??? We the tax payers suffer for that.
Congessman Tim Bishop , you lost my respect and my vote.

Simply put.., Don’t let these elective officials hide behind the Obama administration… (((The American public needs to have these officials put a name on these projects…)))In light of the increasing development of this “economic crisis”.., In the reguard for ((human))welfare all the birds,bees,mushrooms,snakes,trees provisions in this bill should be CHANGED!!! Any elected official who wants to put their name & face on these projects let the “Face the Nation” or “Meet the Press”… They shouldn’t be able to hide behind the Obama administration and call themselves public servants… Americans heard the Obama campaign for 3 years and this bill except for the “stem cell research”, Is an complete 360* degrees for just being in office for a mere two monthes…….PUT A ELECTED OFFICIALS NAME& FACE ON THOSE PROJECTS!!!…