Unbelievable Waste!

April 24, 2009

Unbelievable Waste!

Filed under: General — mary @ 9:02 am

You do not want to miss this brand new, 2 minute video expose of government waste from ABC News. It’s shocking.

John Murtha\’s Porkbarrel Airport

Comments (79)

79 Comments

Here’s a little information about Johnstown, PA, and the entire MSA.

Comment by Bill — April 24, 2009 @ 11:23 am
This airport will receive $800,000 in Obama stimulus money to pave a back-up runway. The project was solicited by Murtha D-Pa, to the FAA last Dec and declined because there was not enough passenger volume to qualify for the project. It was summarily approved by the FAA after passage of the stimulus package as a make-work project. It met the sole criteria of being ‘shovel ready’.

How many other shovel-money-down-the-toilet projects are going ahead?

Comment by Wallypog — April 24, 2009 @ 12:57 pm
So this was going on while they were (rightfully) pillorying Ted Stevens for the Bridge To Nowhere? Incredible!

Comment by Dan — April 24, 2009 @ 2:04 pm
Bill, interesting stats on Johnstown, PA, the city that has the John Murtha Airport which cost our nation’s taxpayers $150 million dollars over the last decade and now was just granted $800,000 more from the Stimulus Bill to pave a “backup” runway!

The town has only 23,000 residents. No wonder only 20 people a day fly in and out of the deluxe airport. The median income is about $25,000 and the average home value is $36,000. Have you ever heard of a house value that low?

Comment by mary — April 24, 2009 @ 3:54 pm
Johnstown is about 70 miles from Pittsburgh and about the same distance from State College (that’s where Penn State University is). Both Pittsburgh and State College have their own airports.

Comment by Bill — April 24, 2009 @ 5:01 pm
Now that I think about this it makes perfect sense. The capital of Oregon, Salem, has a population at least 3 times that of CdA but we’re getting a much bigger Kroc Center than they are. There nothing like a load of Kroc and were getting the biggest LOAD in the northwest. It is not the size of the dog in the fight, it is the size of the bite in the dog. And we all know that Mayor Bloem can bite the big one so we got the great big Kroc for our hometown. Maybe its corridors will echo with empty like the Murtha Airport, who knows?

Comment by Wallypog — April 24, 2009 @ 5:09 pm
The median income is about $25,000 and the average home value is $36,000. Have you ever heard of a house value that low?–mary

elitist much?

Comment by raygun — April 24, 2009 @ 5:10 pm
The median income is about $25,000 and the average home value is $36,000. Have you ever heard of a house value that low?Comment by mary — April 24, 2009 @ 3:54 pm

Mary, that sounds like CDA, back in 1986.Somebody, I knew bought a modest old house in the Fort Grounds area for alittle over $40,000.Those days are gone forever.

Comment by kageman — April 24, 2009 @ 9:23 pm
Sounds like CdA’s emergency police station that remains empty during a 1,500 public tea party rally.

Comment by citizen — April 25, 2009 @ 6:16 am
citizen, i hate to belabor the point, but if you look at the helicopter picture of the tea party you can see that the estimate of 1,000 given by the event organizers is a little on the high side; 1500 is merely a fabricated number with no evidence to support it. if you enlarge the photograph and count the people, 800 is probably a pretty fair and accurate number.

Comment by raygun — April 25, 2009 @ 7:33 am
citizen,
raygun would know since he probably blew up the picture and counted each and every one to prove his point. 🙂

Comment by concerned citizen — April 25, 2009 @ 7:37 am
Doubt it. I’ll take the estimate by the professionals that work with crowds all the time.

Comment by mary — April 25, 2009 @ 8:18 am
The waste in government is a huge problem right now because of the unrestricted use of pet projects, called EARMARKS, by the powerful members of Congress. These are projects, like John Murtha’s, that could not stand on their own merits, yet they get funded with our tax dollars by wrapping into the Stimulus Bill or Omnibus Bill or any of the next outrageous spending bills we can’t afford.

What should they do? Cut taxes and let business do what we do: Create jobs and make taxable profit.

Comment by mary — April 25, 2009 @ 8:21 am
raygun would know since he probably blew up the picture and counted each and every one to prove his point.–cc

i did.

Doubt it. I’ll take the estimate by the professionals that work with crowds all the time.–mary

the ‘professional’ rent-a-cos who were planted in the front of the crowd and never circulated through it? the ‘professionals’ who donated the security to the cause? yeah, like they’re unbiased.

[provocative jab deleted by moderator]

Comment by raygun — April 25, 2009 @ 9:51 am
[comment deleted]

Comment by raygun — April 25, 2009 @ 10:18 am
Estimating crowd size at outdoor events with uncontrolled, unrestricted access is very difficult at best. This particular event lasted about two hours, and people were able to come and go from all directions without control or restriction. They were able to observe from any distance, including from across the street. I wouldn’t quibble if the 1,500 figure was based on an estimate of total attendance (people who arrived early and stayed through the entire event as well as people who stayed only briefly).

Comment by Bill — April 25, 2009 @ 11:58 am
Quibble about attendance numbers all you want, the bottom line is that the event was held and was obviously successful. Last night, I spoke with one of the organizers and they were hoping for 500 people at best. That nearly 3 times that amount showed up, on a Wednesday, at 3:00 PM, is pretty astounding.

No, those who support unaccountable government and run-away spending need to be frightened. The protestors were civil, yet highly motivated. This event is the foundation for the change that is coming in 2010.

Comment by Dan — April 25, 2009 @ 12:15 pm
800 or 1500, the point is that the police did not need a police station for the crowd.

Comment by citizen — April 25, 2009 @ 12:53 pm
The John Murtha Airport scam is just the tip of the iceburg…the kind of irresponsible spending that will bring down our country if something is not done about it. Both political houses must be cleaned of this type of graft and waste and it’s obvious those in power right now are no different than the rest. “We the People” are the only power that can do it.

Comment by mary — April 25, 2009 @ 12:54 pm
No, those who support unaccountable government and run-away spending need to be frightened.

Indeed. The word is getting out. See http://greenhellblog.wordpress.com/ for just one example of that awakening. The nattering nabobs aside, the Sleeping Tiger awakes.

Comment by Pariah — April 25, 2009 @ 1:18 pm
whatever. 🙂

Comment by raygun — April 25, 2009 @ 2:21 pm
Quibble about attendance numbers all you want, the bottom line is…they were hoping for 500 people at best. That nearly 3 times that amount showed up–dan

that doesn’t really flow well, your first statemnet appears to indicate that it is not important whether the number was 500 or 1500, yet the second statement is entirely dependent on there having been 1500 people in attendance. see the discrepancy? blow up the picture, count the people, make a graid and estimate the body counts in each grid and you come up with about half of what is being claimed (which, btw, jumped from mary’s initial report that security ‘professionals’ claimed 1200) the numbers are pretty fluid. 😉 and at less than 1% of the population you’re not going to win any races in 2010 (especially with a Presidential approval rating in the mid to upper 60%)

Comment by raygun — April 25, 2009 @ 2:29 pm
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/obama_administration/daily_presidential_tracking_poll”

This new Rasmussen Poll shows Obama’s approval rating has dropped to 35% and his disapproval rating has doubled, now at 30%.

Comment by mary — April 25, 2009 @ 2:50 pm
Mary,

Facts matter – only to rational people. The Obamabots care for feelings and power, not facts. They have no respect for people, for ethics, for law or truth, power is their only lodestone. They are very dangerous and very deceptive.

Comment by Pariah — April 25, 2009 @ 2:57 pm
Here’s an interesting quote from a comment under the John Murtha Airport Video on You Tube:

“The American people will never knowingly adopt socialism. But, under the name of ‘liberalism,’ they will adopt every fragment of the socialist program, until one day America will be a socialist nation, without knowing how it happened.”

– Norman Thomas, U.S. Socialist Party presidential candidate 1940, 1944 and 1948

Comment by mary — April 25, 2009 @ 3:08 pm
one good quote deserves another:

“Nobody in this country realizes that cap-and-trade is a tax — and it’s a great big one,” Rep. John Dingell (D-Michigan) said Friday.

Comment by TheWiz — April 25, 2009 @ 3:10 pm
mary, 36% STRONGLY approve.

“Overall, 56% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the President’s performance so far.”
And that’s a daily tracking poll, they are highly fluid. The fact remains that President Obama has a very high approval rating (during an extremely difficult time in our nations history–2 wars and a near economic meltdown all courtesy of the previous administration).

and there are more polls here: http://www.gallup.com/poll/113980/Gallup-Daily-Obama-Job-Approval.aspx

but i understand the need to whistle past the graveyard. been there, done that.

Comment by raygun — April 25, 2009 @ 10:17 pm
here is another good quote:

“Torture anywhere is an affront to human dignity everywhere… I call on
all governments to join with the United States and the community of
law-abiding nations in prohibiting, investigating, and prosecuting all
acts of torture.”

/– George W. Bush, June 2003/

Comment by raygun — April 25, 2009 @ 10:20 pm
And 30% STONGLY disapprove.

Comment by mary — April 26, 2009 @ 9:16 am
What’s really up is the disparity between Democratic and Republican approval of president Obama. That difference is higher than for any other president, including GW Bush.

Before about 30 years ago, US Presidents received a generous equal amount of approval from both political parties after an election. Post Watergate, however, the difference between Dem and GOP approval ratings for the new president and grown more polar. The trend line is pretty solid.

My guess is that any new president will see polarization primarily because they feel compelled to get a lot accomplished in the first 100 days. Obama is seeing it because he felt compelled to act on the financial crises quickly and, therefore, he made decisions that proved to be highly unpopular with many people. The GOP should keep in mind that these decisions are exactly in line with those made by GW Bush during the last few months of his presidency. And I will also note for the record, that the same crowd that is unhappy with Obama was also seriously discontent with Bush over those same decisions.

Comment by Dan — April 26, 2009 @ 9:31 am
I think you go too far, Dan, when you say that Obama’s decisions are exactly in line with those made by Bush. Yes, the stimulus bill was probably similar, and some of the banks rescues. (and I don’t agree with the way Bush or Obama handled these) but then the tone started changing. Instead of the government trying to stop a possible financial crash, Obama turned the crisis into an opportunity to interject government control over major portions of our lives.

Obama’s move toward nationalization of banks, major business, health care and energy is a radical shift in direction.

Comment by mary — April 26, 2009 @ 10:13 am
What’s really up is the disparity between Democratic and Republican approval of president Obama.–dan

agreed

Comment by raygun — April 26, 2009 @ 12:02 pm
Obama’s move toward nationalization of banks, major business, health care and energy is a radical shift in direction.-mary

facts?

Comment by raygun — April 26, 2009 @ 12:03 pm
Look at the news, it’s reported from all sources. I see it as a radical shift in the philosophy and direction of our country.

Comment by mary — April 26, 2009 @ 12:48 pm
mary, i listen to, watch and read the news 24/7 and i have not come across any NEWS that supports your charges; i’ve heard plenty of OPINIONS to that effect, but none of them are supported with actual facts, just a bunch of ideologically driven hysteria. while everyone is entitled to have their own opinions, it doesn’t help the national dialog when those opinions are reported to be facts. as far as a ‘radical shift in the philosophy and direction of our country,’ it would appear that that is what the 69,456, 897 voters wanted when they elected barack hussein obama president of the united states of america. as the democratic minority was told repeatedly from 2000 through 2006, there are consequences to losing.

Comment by raygun — April 26, 2009 @ 3:15 pm
And 30% STONGLY disapprove.–mary

in the new math classes i took, 30% was a minority.

Comment by raygun — April 26, 2009 @ 3:17 pm
turbo tax timmy the new secty of the treasury told congress that the administration wants to exit this crisis with greater control of the economy, you had to listen to cspan to hear that but it was a stunning admission of a socialist takeover by the thugs in the white house of our economic system. that ray and his left wing cheerleaders missed this isn’t a suprise, the media isn’t telling people the truth. shocking that.

Comment by TheWiz — April 26, 2009 @ 4:59 pm
“I listen to, watch and read the news 24/7…” Wow. We all need to find a healthy balance in our lives…family, friends, sleep, etc.

Comment by mary — April 26, 2009 @ 5:57 pm
the administration wants to exit this crisis with greater control of the economy–wiz

so? rather than buy into the hysteria being sold by the side that lost the last few elections, that this is a ‘march towards socialism, perhaps the more reasonable explanation is that the prior administration either gutted, or simply did not enforce the regulations in place to regulated various aspects of the economy, like ‘derivatives’ and now is the time for the government to keep an eye on the money changers and insure that they behave ethically and responsibly. unless of course you enjoy the current economic meltdown brought about in large part by the rampant greed that has collapsed banks around the world?

Comment by raygun — April 26, 2009 @ 6:10 pm
“Torture anywhere is an affront to human dignity everywhere… I call on
all governments to join with the United States and the community of
law-abiding nations in prohibiting, investigating, and prosecuting all
acts of torture.”

/– George W. Bush, June 2003/

course the us didn’t use ‘torture’, not that ray and her left wing chorus care much for the facts, but there it is. pelosi and the dems got briefed, they knew and accepted it.

Comment by TheWiz — April 26, 2009 @ 7:58 pm
sorry wiz, you can’t rewrite history on this one, congress was not informed of all the techniques being used. answer this, if waterboarding was torture when it was used against us troops, why isn’t it torture now?

Comment by raygun — April 26, 2009 @ 8:35 pm
{{chirp}}, {{chirp}}

Comment by raygun — April 26, 2009 @ 10:16 pm
Hill Briefed on Waterboarding in 2002

All the members of Congress were not briefed, however Representatives Pelosi and Harman and Senators Graham, Rockefeller IV, Goss, and Roberts were in their intelligence oversight roles.

raygun, you should ask your question of those representatives and senators. With the exception of Harman, the only one to formally object, they are the ones who approved the measures in the 2002-2003 time frame.

Comment by Bill — April 27, 2009 @ 7:40 am
bill, thanks for the link to that article. i condemn anyone, regardless of political party, who supported the use of torture. the wiz, i imagine, will support “Representatives Pelosi and Harman and Senators Graham, Rockefeller IV, Goss, and Roberts.”

Comment by raygun — April 27, 2009 @ 8:00 am
The issue for me is not waterboarding, agree or disagree with how it was used after 9/11, it is no longer on the list of choices. It’s done; it’s past, let it go. Why the effort to threaten civil servants or law enforcement from the past? Why now?

I think the answer is in the sophisticated distraction methods of the Obama administration. They are making a big deal about waterboarding, which is filling every news cycle on every media outlet, but what are they doing at the same time, that they don’t want on the news?

It seems to me they quickly changed directions and tone on the waterboarding thing right after Obama’s chummy handshake with Chavez, which was right after he bowed in supplication to the King of Saudi Arabia. Was this an effort to shift attention away from those gaffs? Or could something even more important be going on that we’re not hearing about?

Comment by mary — April 27, 2009 @ 8:01 am
It’s done; it’s past, let it go.–mary

We didn’t have that mentality with the Japenses and Germans after WWII, why now?

The level of paranoia that some are exhibiting regarding all things Obama is truly disturbing and, in my opinion, extremely unhealthy. Questioning authority is one thing, obsessive paranoia is something completely different and it is what seperates the mainstream from the fringe. Obama shook hands with Chavez, so what. They are both leaders of nations and were at the same conference, what would you suggest he do? The Bush doctrine of arrogance and ignorance in relation to other nations is what has led to the low opinion of the US around the world. Courtesy and respect for others is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of confidence and strength. We need not be afraid of handshakes or books.

Comment by raygun — April 27, 2009 @ 8:45 am
“Obama shook hands with Chavez, so what. They are both leaders of nations and were at the same conference, what would you suggest he do?” – raygun

Chavez should never have approached the President of the United States and handed him the book, then shook his hand. Things like that are orchestrated, not spontaneous. But Chavez is a pig, and the President’s Lead and Site Staff Advance people should have anticipated Chavez (or Noriega) might pull some kind of publicity stunt like that and have headed it off. How? By very quietly and privately assuring Chavez’ staff that if Chavez got out of line (as he did), the United States would inflict diplomatic and economic death by a thousand cuts on Venezuela. That threat would only be effective if the Chavez people believed Obama would have the courage to carry it out. He doesn’t.

Either Obama’s staff advance people are unaware of their obligation to protect the President of the United States from that kind of humiliation and embarrassment, or they were fully aware of what was going to happen and tacitly or explicitly agreed to let it happen. Judging from the “What the hell is happening?” look on Obama’s face when Chavez approached him, I’d say he didn’t know it was going to happen, at least not under those circumstances. Some staff advance people should have been told to be on the next commercial flight back to IAD, then clean out their desks and go home.

Comment by Bill — April 27, 2009 @ 9:44 am
Bill, your insights are valuable because of your long-time experience on the Secret Service advanced teams for many Presidents. How many administrations did you serve?

Comment by mary — April 27, 2009 @ 10:00 am
bill, respectfully, it is this narrow and reactionary response–“Chavez is a pig”– that mimics the prior administration’s disastrous foreign policy. It is refreshing to see an Administration not afraid of the ‘bogeymen” of the world. The only way we will solve problems is by advancing dialog. Nixon did it with China, Reagan did it with the Soviet Union. Bush’s neo-con foreign policy of ignoring dialog and launching unilateral, pre-emptive wars has bankrupted our treasury and our moral standing in the world. Count me among the 50% of the people who believe our country is finally headed in the right direction. http://www.pollingreport.com/right.htm

Comment by raygun — April 27, 2009 @ 10:54 am
raygun,

Chavez is a pig. That’s precisely why Obama, if he had any diplomatic experience, pride in his country, and courage of convictions, would have told his staff advance people (and the Charge d’Affaires/DCM Caulfield) to make darn sure Chavez didn’t get out of line in public. If Chavez wanted a photo op and grip-and-grin with the President of the United States, and he clearly did, it would and could have been arranged. Chavez intentionally embarrassed and humiliated the President of the United States and by extension, the United States and its citizens, and Obama allowed him to get away with it. Chavez obviously knew that Obama had neither the diplomatic experience or the backbone to rebuff his totally inappropriate approach.

Comment by Bill — April 27, 2009 @ 11:35 am

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