Michelle Malkin » “Instead of shovel-ready spending, let’s focus on ax-ready waste!”

“Instead of shovel-ready spending, let’s focus on ax-ready waste!”

By Michelle Malkin • January 14, 2009 10:36 AM

The National Taxpayers Union and Citizens Against Government Waste team up to counter the pork-crazy mayors marching on Washington for their chunks of the stimulus — Generational Theft Act of 2009 — pie.

This should be shouted from the rooftops: “”Instead of shovel-ready spending, let’s focus on ax-ready waste!”

Among the mayors’ pet causes: corporate hangars, a “business apron,” and nearly 30 stadium-related projects.

Cut them out!

The U.S. Conference of Mayors has sent Congress a $96.6 billion wish list of “shovel-ready” projects to allegedly create jobs and improve the nation’s infrastructure, but the National Taxpayers Union (NTU) and the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) are offering a different solution to stimulate the economy: an updated list of “ax-ready” programs and legislation that would reduce wasteful spending. Last October, NTU and CCAGW sent a letter to then-Presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama outlining ways to reduce federal outlays.

“Before Election Day, NTU and CCAGW answered the Presidential hopefuls’ calls for going through the budget ‘line by line’ to root out waste and inefficiency,” NTU President Duane Parde said. “Now, we’re highlighting more ‘ready-to-cut’ areas of the federal government for Congress to act on instead of stuffing states full of pork.” CCAGW President Tom Schatz added, “Congress must cut wasteful spending now, at the same time the stimulus package is being considered. Promising to address the mounting fiscal burden on taxpayers at a later date means that nothing will ever happen.”

Among the mayors’ ” ‘Ready to Go’ Jobs and Infrastructure Projects” are well over $1 billion in projects involving sidewalks; $1 million for annual sewer rehabilitation in Casper, WY; $6.1 million for corporate hangars, parking lots, and a business apron at the Fayetteville, AR airport; 28 projects with the term “stadium” in them; and 117 projects mentioning landscaping and/or beautification efforts. The taxpayers should be most teed off at the 20 golf courses included in the list.

Some alternatives to the mayors’ list could be found through NTU’s research arm, the National Taxpayers Union Foundation (NTUF), which through its BillTally program has compiled a list of legislation that would reduce federal spending. NTUF also maintains a roster of 2,150 spending-cut bills introduced in the last nine Congresses that totaled over $9.5 trillion, only 69 of which were eventually signed into law (for a savings of $89.6 billion). Finally, NTU reviews data from the Bush Administration’s Program Assessment Rating Tool, which found nearly 220 programs in 2007 that were ineffective or did not demonstrate results.

CCAGW’s research arm, Citizens Against Government Waste, has just issued the “2009 Prime Cuts,” which has 700 cut recommendations totaling $1.9 trillion over five years. It includes the elimination of duplicative and inefficient programs such as the Market Access Program, which costs $231 million over five years to help large and profitable American companies advertise abroad.

“The mayors have billed their projects as ’shovel-ready,’ but the only shoveling going on would be out of taxpayers’ pockets,” Parde concluded. Schatz added, “The best way to stimulate the economy and create jobs is to cut wasteful spending and keep money in the private sector.”

***

The former Republican congressman chosen by President-elect Barack Obama to direct billions in federal highway spending has been an unapologetic advocate of earmarks, a practice Obama now opposes, and has used his influence to win funding for projects pushed by some of his largest campaign contributors.

Ray LaHood, who represented Illinois in the House for seven terms, sponsored $60 million in earmarks last year, steering at least $9 million in federal money to campaign donors, a Washington Post analysis shows. An opponent of earmark reform efforts in Congress, LaHood ranks roughly among the top 10 percent in the House for sponsoring earmarks in 2008, according to a watchdog group.

LaHood’s record poses an important question as hearings begin today that will explore how he would administer part of a $775 billion stimulus package that will be directed to the Transportation Department. LaHood has defended his use of earmarks as a way to direct federal money to decaying communities in his district and insisted there is no connection between his earmarks and projects benefiting campaign donors.

Obama has pledged to resist pressure from local interests and to block unjustified earmarks from inclusion in the stimulus bill. “We’re not having earmarks in the recovery package, period,” he said Jan. 7.

Famous last words.

Posted in: fiscal stimulus

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#590850

On January 14th, 2009 at 10:48 am, Socky said:

Will Wilkinson joins Amity Shlaes, Kevin Fassett, Michelle Malkin and my own bad self in arguing that government infrastructure projects won’t revive the economy and are Petri dishes for graft and corruption.

[I]t’s worse than “won’t work.” New roads, bridges, and electric grids requires the government to sign thousands of contracts and cut thousands of checks. Now think about the missing billions in Iraq. Big-ticket government contracting is just the kind of process where political corruption thrives, where regulatory oversight fails, especially if we’re going for speed. If infrastructure is worth doing, it’s worth doing smartly, deliberately, and with scrupulous oversight.
#590857

On January 14th, 2009 at 10:54 am, Socky said:

$6.1 million for corporate hangars, parking lots, and a business apron at the Fayetteville, AR airport

.

I am guessing these are considered “Green Jobs” since the corporate hangars will enable Al Gore to fly in on his Gulfstream II to lecture Wal-Mart about sustainability.
#590859

On January 14th, 2009 at 10:55 am, cpodug said:

Nice to know things haven’t changed in eighty years:

This country has come to feel the same when Congress is in session as when the baby gets hold of a hammer. – Will Rogers

Only difference from then and now is Congress has gotten hold of a bigger hammer.
#590860

On January 14th, 2009 at 10:57 am, happyscrapper said:

“scrupulous oversight”. Two words that will not exist in Obama’s administration. Obama’s entire stimulus idea is a pile of dung. Absolutely won’t work and will put the last nail in our economy. At least we will have some spiffy new roads and light rail systems before we go down the tubes. I can’t believe a man who everyone thinks is so smart can have his head so far up his a$$ when it comes to the economy! Typical of the Left to do exactly the opposite of what makes sense.
#590862

On January 14th, 2009 at 11:00 am, happy2behere said:

Sometimes its both. In the early 90’s Denver International Airport had quite a bit of wasteful spending but it also helped our “oil bust” economy get back up.

The issue now is: are we going to sell some of these projects to foreign investors? Many forecasters think selling infrastruture is a probablity.
#590870

On January 14th, 2009 at 11:08 am, happyscrapper said:

Many forecasters think selling infrastruture is a probablity.

OMG! Now half the country will belong to China, if it doesn’t already. Or worse, maybe we’ll sell to the Arabs, since they already have most of our money. It makes me physically ill to think that if we weren’t so afraid of the “greenies”, (and why are we, by the way?), we could be using all this money to build nuclear power plants, more clean coal, drill for oil, become energy independant, create jobs, and get rid of our obligation to bend over for the Arabs who are sitting over there in their palaces laughing at our stupidity.
#590875

On January 14th, 2009 at 11:11 am, Rogue Cheddar said:

What they need is the kind of earmark my momma used to give me when she would give me a “wickup” side the head for saying a bad word!
#590883

On January 14th, 2009 at 11:16 am, Flyoverman said:

May I suggest a chainsaw…..
#590930

On January 14th, 2009 at 11:43 am, sonofdy said:

I suggest a 50 megatonne nuclear warhead be used on this spending bill.
#590957

On January 14th, 2009 at 11:58 am, cheapseat said:

you expect anyone in politics to CUT spending, when a decrease in the amount of increase in political terms is a cut. in modern time, there was only one year 1995-1996 where the federal budget did not increase by a big margin. newt’s revolution.
#590964

On January 14th, 2009 at 12:01 pm, kwyoung said:

I have several “shovel ready” projects I would like to do around the house. We could start as early as tomorrow. I think I could keep construction crews busy for the next 9 to 12 months. Where can I apply for funding so I can help stimulate the economy?

/sarc off
#590987

On January 14th, 2009 at 12:32 pm, Socky said:

BTW, the Great Lakes also need a bailout:

Advocates are campaigning for the Great Lakes to receive a generous share of the spending President-elect Barack Obama is requesting to stimulate the economy.

A Bush administration initiative called the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration proposed a wide-ranging, $20 billion cleanup and restoration in 2005, but it has gone mostly unfunded as costs have risen.
#590992

On January 14th, 2009 at 12:35 pm, b-cat said:

$20 billion cleanup and restoration in 2005,

Let’s see, the first thing we need to do is drain out all the water…
#591001

On January 14th, 2009 at 12:47 pm, AlohaGuy said:

The AlohaGuy Stadium project is ready and only needs $2.5 billion to get it off the ground. There will be luxury boxes for AIG and GM Execs, and a tax-free smoking zone called the Presidential Box.
All taxpayers will be entered to win a ticket in the endzone to the game of their choice. Please note, there are no scheduled games, but if you fund it, they will come.
#591009

On January 14th, 2009 at 12:51 pm, tiredofit08 said:

a modern president-elect wanting to move us into the future with 1930’s style programs…go figure….looney tunes in action….
#591043

On January 14th, 2009 at 1:25 pm, Socky said:

a modern president-elect wanting to move us into the future with 1930’s style programs…go figure….looney tunes in action….

When the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.
#591116

On January 14th, 2009 at 2:34 pm, Socky said:

When the only tool you have is a hammer and sickle, every problem looks like an ~~nail~~ opportunity to expand government.

There, fixed myself.
#591228

On January 14th, 2009 at 4:41 pm, nail49 said:

When ~~the only~~ you are a tool and all you have is a hammer and sickle, every problem looks like an ~~nail~~ opportunity to expand government.

Nice fix, Socky, but I had to fix it a little bit more.
#591357

On January 14th, 2009 at 8:09 pm, zorro said:

Political Pay-off Palooza!
#592921

On January 16th, 2009 at 8:21 am, southcoast said:

yes