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3/19/2010
Feingold’s budget-busting moves are window dressing
Here we go again. Sen. Feingold is a hero because he’s saving money. He’ll vote for $2.5 trillion of health “reform” because he says it reduces the deficit. SOOO maddening. Why does it reduce the deficit Russ? Because of $trillions in new taxes and fees. So maddening.
Because it’s election year, Feingold is on a supposed control-the-budget kick. Again, so maddening. It’s a little late, Russ.
I digress. News yesterday was of the Senate voting to pass an amendment authored by the dear penny-pinching (what?) senator from Wisconsin to cancel unspent transportation earmarks. According to WisPolitics and the Feingold press release, the gallant move could save about $478 million this year, and more over time by “rescind[ing] all transportation earmarks that are 10 or more years old and have unobligated balances of 90 percent or more.”
That’s a heck of a set of darned generous criteria. I realize transportation projects have lo-o-o-ng lead times. But when the money has barely been touched after 10 years? What?
How about money that’s been in the pipeline for 18 years, with $91.5 million still unspent? Oops, that’s only 32% of the huge original $289 earmark for Milwaukee public transit – can’t take that money away.
It was 17 years ago when Congress first appropriated $289 million for a Milwaukee-area public transit project. But in that time, state and local political leaders have never agreed on what that transit project should be.
Now, as 2009 dawns, most of the money has been diverted to other purposes, and the last $91.5 million remains unspent. None of the projects proposed - light rail, streetcars, express buses, guided electric buses, commuter trains, bus-only highways or freeway bus and car-pool lanes - has moved beyond study and discussion.
How much more of that kind of stuff is under the radar of Wisconsin’s new budget-buster in Washington? Could he maybe find $2.5 trillion?
Jo Egelhoff, FoxPolitics.net
COMMENTS
You are not being complete in your analysis of Senator Feingold's efforts to reduce government spending and in the process you are misinforming your readers.
It is true that Senator Feingold is asking for the return of these transportation dollars the local governments can not agree on how to spend but he is also addressing the mining contracts that the federal government has that are not nearly favorable to the government, corporate giveaways and eliminating useless military programs such as the Osprey.
The complete story shows a Senator that is fiscally responsible.
vic (Fri Mar 19 21:54:49 2010)
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