Previous post
Next post
For our current batch of legislators, it’s an easy choice: screw the troops, bring on the pork!
Senators diverted $2.6 billion in funds in a defense spending bill to pet projects largely at the expense of accounts that pay for fuel, ammunition and training for U.S. troops, including those fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to an analysis.
Among the 778 such projects, known as earmarks, packed into the bill: $25 million for a new World War II museum at the University of New Orleans and $20 million to launch an educational institute named after the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, Massachusetts Democrat.
While earmarks are hardly new in Washington, “in 30 years on Capitol Hill, I never saw Congress mangle the defense budget as badly as this year,” said Winslow Wheeler, a former Senate staffer who worked on defense funding and oversight for both Republicans and Democrats. He is now a senior fellow at the Center for Defense Information, an independent research organization.
Sen. Tom Coburn, Oklahoma Republican, called the transfer of funds from Pentagon operations and maintenance “a disgrace.”
Well, isn’t that just lovely. Instead of ammunition for our troops, we get a new WWII museum. Instead of fuel and training for our military, we get a Ted Kennedy “educational institute”. Other earmarks included $20 million for the Maui Space Surveillance System, and $25 million for the Hawaii Federal Health Care Network. It’s disgusting to see these legislators raiding military funding to get more pork-filled pet projects.
Some people may try to compare this to the “guns or butter” argument, but this is not even close to that. Usually, the only time you’re even free to choose is when you don’t really need the guns, so to speak — the military is strong, the troops have what they need, and we’re currently at peace. Right now, our military is fighting two wars, and our legislators in Congress are screwing them over.
It’s enough to make my head explode. What happened to Obama’s “not a single earmark” promise?
Hat Tip: Hot Air
I was in the Army under Billy bob’s first term. I was a squad leader at the time. In 1994 the cost of living rose over 6%. Our pay….2.1% I had 2 married solders in my squad. Good solid honest men. Veterans and men who I trusted my life with. One had to go on welfare to buy FUC*%&NG food for his kids! the other solder took on a second job!
when our brigade came down on RDF I was told to put in a training plan for 2 months. “Make it intensive” my platoon sergent told me. And I did. Road march out to the M-16 range, qualify all solders, road march to the SAW range ROM (Remain Over Night) Qualify all solders, night roadmarch to the M-203 range, ROM, quualify all solders on and on and on. I submitted my trainings plan and it came back rejected to re-write NO FUNDS AVAILABLE! so I cut out the qualifying and took it down to practice. Again rejected. I took out all the ranges all together and was told that we couldn’t be supported from the DE-FAC (Mess hall) due to lack of funds.
Because Billy was more interested in magicly balencing the budget at the cost to my solders and our combar readyness my squad lost the chance to get some hard but damn good training. Because it cost the taxpayers millions to investigate wether or not he got a blowjob forced 2 of my solders families to be at risk.
Now we the squad every week chipped in and “loaned” him the money he needed. No questions asked no wondering wether or not we’de get the money back. A brother was hurting and we elped him. Whats a case of brew less on the weekend? No probs at all. But Billy forced us to do that. He forced us in the military to cut back on daily essencials. Like training and combad readyness.
This is a repeat of that and I see my brothers and sisters in need. I’ll step up my efforts to sponser a solder. I’ll donate to military communities. I never want to see a solder and his family suffer because of some shithead politicians who have never in thier lives worked for anything they now have.
Don’t forget our two RINO sellouts, Snowe and Collins, getting $25 million for a facility to service and maintain Humvees way up in Maine. Hell, there’s no reason on the planet to have such a facility there, but at least now we know what they got in exchange for boning us all on health care, stimulus, cap and trade, and all of Obama’s other rip-off schemes.
3 Comments