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Anonymous
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War Pork
#1448269 - 04/10/03 10:00 PM (20 years, 11 months ago) |
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=============================== NEWS FROM THE LIBERTARIAN PARTY 2600 Virginia Avenue, NW, Suite 100 Washington DC 20037 World Wide Web: http://www.LP.org =============================== For release: April 10, 2003 =============================== For additional information: George Getz, Communications Director Phone: (202) 333-0008 E-Mail: pressreleases@hq.LP.org ================================
Congress is profiteering on the war by funding special interests, Libertarians say
WASHINGTON, DC -- The bill funding the war in Iraq has become jam- packed with so many special-interest favors -- such as a $250 million grant for Southern catfish farmers -- that Congress should be ashamed to vote for it, the Libertarian Party says.
"Unfortunately, wartime looting isn't confined to Iraq," said Geoffrey Neale, the party's national chairman. "Politicians in Washington, DC, are using the fog of late-night legislating to cover their tracks as they funnel money to their political supporters."
As a House-Senate conference committee negotiates the final details of legislation funding the Iraq war, Democrats and Republicans are scrambling to insert dozens of special-interest riders. Though the $80 billion package was stalled by disagreements on Wednesday, it is expected to be completed within days and presented to President Bush.
According to an estimate by Rep. Ron Paul, R-TX, the bill contains $20 billion in "wartime pork," or spending that has no connection with the war in Iraq or the battle against terrorism.
"By turning the bill into a spigot for special interests, Congress is profiteering on the war -- and that should anger every American," Neale said.
One especially egregious example: Republican Sen. Thad Cochran inserted language that would funnel $250 million to Southern catfish farmers, many of them in his home state of Mississippi, under the guise of providing drought relief for livestock producers.
Other "war-time pork" includes:
* $69 million to fund a "Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust," named after the former Missouri Congressman.
* A measure intended to prevent a German company, DHL Worldwide Express, from competing with Federal Express and United Parcel Service in the delivery of military cargo. During the 2002 election cycle, UPS gave $1.5 million to Democratic and Republican candidates and $300,000 to the Republican National Committee, Neale noted.
* $98 million for an agricultural research lab in Iowa, and $250 million in other Agriculture Department grants.
* $3.2 billion to extend unemployment benefits for airline employees.
* $11 million for Congressional salaries and expenses.
* A total of $12.4 million for the Library of Congress, the Congressional Research Service, the General Accounting Office and the U.S. Court of International Trade.
* $8 billion in foreign aid for nations that are supposedly helping the fight against terrorism, including Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia and Djibouti.
"It's disgraceful that politicians who publicly brag about supporting our troops are privately using this war as a device to enrich special interests and benefit their own re-election campaigns," Neale said.
"The Libertarian Party is challenging Mr. Bush to veto this bill. Maybe that will send a message to the politicians who insist on conducting business as usual in Washington, DC -- while their fellow Americans are dying in Iraq."
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angryshroom
Stranger
Registered: 12/18/01
Posts: 7,264
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Re: War Pork [Re: ]
#1448442 - 04/10/03 11:20 PM (20 years, 11 months ago) |
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Mmmm. War-Time Pork....
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Xlea321
Stranger
Registered: 02/25/01
Posts: 9,134
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Re: War Pork [Re: ]
#1448532 - 04/10/03 11:55 PM (20 years, 11 months ago) |
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Didn't Turkey get a billion too? Some human rights record they've got....
-------------------- Don't worry, B. Caapi
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Evolving
Resident Cynic
Registered: 10/01/02
Posts: 5,385
Loc: Apt #6, The Village
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Re: War Pork [Re: ]
#1448577 - 04/11/03 12:12 AM (20 years, 11 months ago) |
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Here are some more examples of what ended up in the "war funding" bill:
* $125 million for congressional security, to make sure members are safe even if the country is not; * $1 billion in "economic assistance" for Turkey, even though they refused to let America use its bases to stage our assault on Iraq and have only grudgingly allowed use of its airspace; * $700 million for Jordan; * $500 million for Egypt; * $127 million for Afghanistan; * $1 billion in for Israel; * $175 million for Pakistan; * $170 million to train the "Afghan National Army";
-------------------- To call humans 'rational beings' does injustice to the term, 'rational.' Humans are capable of rational thought, but it is not their essence. Humans are animals, beasts with complex brains. Humans, more often than not, utilize their cerebrum to rationalize what their primal instincts, their preconceived notions, and their emotional desires have presented as goals - humans are rationalizing beings.
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PsiloKitten
Ganja Goddess
Registered: 02/12/99
Posts: 1,617
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Re: War Pork [Re: Evolving]
#1448617 - 04/11/03 12:36 AM (20 years, 11 months ago) |
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Not to mention that it is absolutely fucking shameful that they are trying to put a force vote/ same day consideration through at fucking 1 am eastern time on this load of crap. It looks like it may make it through the house, 4 GOP defectors currently.. so this could be a close one.. just need 4 more and crisis averted.. I should go light some candles. Does anyone know if they have done this before? I have never heard of anything like this... if you dont know what Im talking about, turn on CSPAN or http://www.c-span.org/watch/cspan_rm.asp?Cat=TV&Code=CS I just cant believe they would hold session at friggin 1 am-2am on this shit-- must not be very proud of it and its being ramroded through with twice the urgency and bamboozlement of the patriot act.
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Edited by PsiloKitten (04/11/03 12:41 AM)
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PsiloKitten
Ganja Goddess
Registered: 02/12/99
Posts: 1,617
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Nevermind, it was the tax cuts that they hijacked.
It took me awhile to figure it out since it was so focused on the war.
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silversoul7
Chill the FuckOut!
Registered: 10/10/02
Posts: 27,301
Loc: mndfreeze's puppet army
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Re: War Pork [Re: Xlea321]
#1448657 - 04/11/03 01:05 AM (20 years, 11 months ago) |
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Quote:
Didn't Turkey get a billion too? Some human rights record they've got....
Mmmm...Turkey
Sorry to be a copycat, but I just couldn't resist.
-------------------- "It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong."--Voltaire
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Meat_Log_Smurf
FumbDuck
Registered: 01/31/03
Posts: 1,144
Loc: BFE
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Good Lord people it goes both freakin ways and this happens EVERY SINGLE TIME A BILL IS INTRODUCED. DUH. Grant it the Repubs may be as bad as the Dems but it not a secret. Did you expect only money for the war? Its funny as shit some of the stupid shit politicians try to get pushed through. All a major bill does is get a few assholes a little bit of extra business for their state.
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Evolving
Resident Cynic
Registered: 10/01/02
Posts: 5,385
Loc: Apt #6, The Village
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Quote:
Good Lord people it goes both freakin ways and this happens EVERY SINGLE TIME A BILL IS INTRODUCED.
I know this, and I'm sure there are others who post on this board who know it, but there are many who are blissfully unaware. The more we expose the practice, the better. I believe Representative Ron Paul introduced some legislation a while back which would have forced congress to have a single vote on each spending proposal, this of course was defeated in a display of 'bipartisanship.'
-------------------- To call humans 'rational beings' does injustice to the term, 'rational.' Humans are capable of rational thought, but it is not their essence. Humans are animals, beasts with complex brains. Humans, more often than not, utilize their cerebrum to rationalize what their primal instincts, their preconceived notions, and their emotional desires have presented as goals - humans are rationalizing beings.
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