Federal Spending for Local Pork
As a new federal budget works its way through the system, we again see the reports of pork-barrel spending by members of the Senate. This is the lovely process where federal tax money is spent on local community pet projects like greenways and public/private museums. Now, like most people, I like museums, and I think greenways are great. I am a big fan of both, and I support both with private donation and local (city, county, and state) taxes. My question is, how in the world does the federal government somehow get involved in paying for these projects?
I'll tell you how (and it seems to be a recurring theme). Once again, we find politicians looking for a way to keep their power. In our great land, power is derived from the people and is retained with votes and money. Unfortunately, the people aren't always that bright, hence the reason that we are a republic and not a pure democracy. But, politicians are politicians, and votes are what they need to stay in power. Pork spending keeps the local constituents and special interests happy, and keeps the money and the votes flowing for a politician.
So, the question is, should a senator serve the interests of its constituency, or should they serve the interests of the nation as a whole. In our current system, the answer is both. That said, I'm not sure how we are ever going to escape the cycle of pork-barrel spending with the mindset of our current electorate. Without a huge libertarian or similar movement, I don't see things changing any time soon. More likely than not, things will get worse before they get better.
posted by JoeFreedom @ 9:13:00 AM
1 comments
1 Comments:
Waddup guys. A few things:
1. It's Pittman...from 7C days. Howdy!
2. While sitting at work today pretending to be occupied with work-related things, I remembered this post (and the rest of you guys' posts) and it got me thinking about the recent election. For years, I have been a devout conservative Republican that wants little to do with the further removal of people’s rights. I have always voted Republican because I strongly believe that education, travel, self-protection, etc. should be handled at the state level without any federal intervention, and for some odd reason, people with beliefs similar to mine seem to also think that the Republican party may, at some point, be inclined to go in this "smaller government" direction. I guess that my hope is that, with a smaller and less powerful federal government, people would actually be able to choose their state based on their beliefs, rather than today’s method of having every state and person that resides within it stirred into one big bubbling stew of giddy political correctness. Anyway, it has become painfully evident to me over the last few months that the giant Democrat-Republican war that has divided the nation has also forced many people who are either “swing” voters or vote 3rd party to feel that they have to choose one of the two major sides to avoid letting the party of the "greater evil" take control. Unfortunately, this is exactly what the Federal government wants and requires, because it prevents a new party from gaining enough support to take away any of their toys. Forgive me if I am rambling on about things that you all have known for years, but it occurred to me today that the only thing that is actually different about the Democrats and Republicans of the past election are the values of the voters. If Kerry would have been elected, what would have really changed? Would troops be brought home from the Middle East soon? Probably. Will they be anyway? Maybe. Would the federal government toss a few measly crumbs at some environmental groups so that the Democrats could claim to have single handedly saved trillions of acres of rain forest? Probably. What would really be different that would affect me? What did Clinton, GHW Bush, Reagan, Carter, etc. do to directly make the country better for me? What I guess I am saying is that today, it is all the same. Bush and Kerry might as well be long lost twins, because the way they ride the bucking Federal bronco would, in reality, be extremely similar. Anyway, I guess what I wonder now is “What can I do?” I am spoiled because I grew up in a small town and caught the tail end of the time when you could sleep or go on vacation with your door unlocked and not worry about it. Today, that is gone. Sometimes I have crazy thoughts like how great it would be if someday, at any cost, I could have kids that could grow up safe in an unlocked home, receive an education that is not sponsored by Coca-Cola and MTV, and grow up armed with the knowledge to make an informed decision and decide for themselves if the values of the State in which they are located match their own values and, if not, to choose one that does. Today’s Democrat-Republican battle has done an incredible job of one thing…making people look past where the real problems lie. History has shown that when people get their hands on some money and power, they get really pissed at the thought of giving any of it up, and today’s Federal government is no exception. The early federal government gave power to the states because it had nothing to gain by controlling the power, while today’s government has everything to lose. I hope that soon we can see real change, rather than the imaginary change that has appeared in the smoke and mirrors that, for decades, have surrounded us.
3. Anyway, I have rambled on long enough. Plus, my chilled adult beverage mug has found itself empty. I just wanted to vent a little and this seemed like a good place. Drop me an email when you can.
Pittman2k at yahoo dot com
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