This week, Congress contemplates passage of a $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill. With many criticizing the inclusion of 6,488 earmarks just weeks after Senate Republicans self-imposed an earmark moratorium, the Libertarian Party of Georgia is asking Republican Senators Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss why they have 24 and 42 earmarks, respectively, in the proposed legislation.
In both the 2008 and 2010 re-election campaigns of the incumbent Senators, they stressed their fiscally conservative credentials during their respective campaigns against far more fiscally conservative Libertarian candidates Allen Buckley and Chuck Donovan. With a combined 66 earmarks, both Senators joined 33 other Republicans in packing the omnibus bill full of pork-barrel spending prior to the moratorium that both Chambliss and Isakson supported.
"My question to the Georgia Senators is this: Why, after running campaigns touting fiscal discipline and reducing Federal spending, are you back to 'business as usual?,'" said Brett Bittner, Executive Director of the Libertarian Party of Georgia. "Both Senators, along with their Republican colleagues, show us that they can 'talk the talk,' but they are unable to 'walk the walk.'"
While the self-imposed moratorium on earmarks is non-binding and did not pass as an amendment to S. 510, the recent food safety bill, the aversion to reducing federal spending on a small scale indicates that the Senate may not be taking the temporary earmark ban all that seriously.
"This is another example of our elected officials saying one thing to get elected, only to turn around and do the opposite once in office," stated Libertarian Party of Georgia Chairman, Daniel N. Adams. "I am curious to know how long this ruse will continue to be effective."
The Libertarian Party is Georgia’s third largest political party and the only party in Georgia promoting fewer taxes, less government and personal liberty for all Georgians. To learn more, please visit www.LPGeorgia.com
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Showing posts with label pork. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pork. Show all posts
Friday, December 17, 2010
Monday, March 9, 2009
Georgia Legislature Blasts O'Hare Modernization Program as Wasteful Project
/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A resolution has been introduced in the Georgia Legislature calling Chicago's O'Hare Modernization Program, or OMP, a "Runway to Nowhere" and describing the project as "ill-conceived and premature." House Resolution 535 was introduced by Representative Joe Wilkinson, Chairman of the House Ethics Committee. It calls on Georgia Congressional delegation to stop all wasteful federal spending in relation to President Obama's recently approved stimulus package. The cost of OMP, which would add a third terminal to Chicago's O'Hare Airport, is currently estimated at approximately $20 billion.
"President Obama was right to warn the nation's mayors that he would call them out for spending federal tax dollars on pork. He should start with his hometown mayor," said Representative Wilkinson. "Here is a public works project that's riddled with allegations of corruption. As an extension of the Rod Blagojevich investigation, crony contractors are being charged with fraudulent bid-rigging schemes, and Chicago's mayor wants upwards of $20 billion from the American taxpayers to pay for it? If that's not pork, I don't know what is."
No one in Illinois is publicly acknowledging where the stimulus funds for the state will be used but there has been speculation that a significant portion will be used for the O'Hare Modernization Program. Chicago Mayor Richard Daley has yet to reveal how and where he would like stimulus funds to be used. Given that the state of Illinois will not invest in the project, and the city of Chicago does not have the resources, it's likely the mayor will go around state government and take his case directly to Washington.
"Why should the people of Georgia and the rest of the nation cough up $20 billion to build an airport in Chicago, when their own state won't even pay for it?" continued Wilkinson. "Compare Chicago's project to Atlanta's request of $500 million for the new Hartsfield-Jackson international terminal. Atlanta and Chicago have virtually identical airports with identical traffic volume, yet Chicago's terminal will cost more than $19 billion more the proposed Atlanta project, and the airlines have affirmed that it will do very little to alleviate flight delays. The American people were right to stand up against the 'bridge to nowhere,' and it's time to do the same with the 'runway to nowhere.'"
Work on the next phase of the O'Hare expansion has not begun and funding for the $20 billion Program has not been secured. FAA studies show that the expansion will not provide any significant improvement of airline delays or alleviate congestion at O'Hare. Aviation experts say that OMP will instead produce massive delays and increase costs for both consumers and airlines during and after initial construction. In addition, the airlines, including United Airlines and American Airlines, have also called the OMP plan "ill-conceived" and "premature."
www.stop-omp.org is dedicated to stopping the senseless, ill advised and flawed O'Hare Modernization Program (OMP) and preventing further unnecessary displacement of families and the wasting of taxpayer dollars. Community leaders, concerned citizens, aviation industry leaders and economic experts continue to urge the FAA to adopt viable alternatives. These include runway configurations proposed by the Chicago air traffic controllers, use of congestion management techniques, reliance on other nearby airports, and construction of a third airport.
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"President Obama was right to warn the nation's mayors that he would call them out for spending federal tax dollars on pork. He should start with his hometown mayor," said Representative Wilkinson. "Here is a public works project that's riddled with allegations of corruption. As an extension of the Rod Blagojevich investigation, crony contractors are being charged with fraudulent bid-rigging schemes, and Chicago's mayor wants upwards of $20 billion from the American taxpayers to pay for it? If that's not pork, I don't know what is."
No one in Illinois is publicly acknowledging where the stimulus funds for the state will be used but there has been speculation that a significant portion will be used for the O'Hare Modernization Program. Chicago Mayor Richard Daley has yet to reveal how and where he would like stimulus funds to be used. Given that the state of Illinois will not invest in the project, and the city of Chicago does not have the resources, it's likely the mayor will go around state government and take his case directly to Washington.
"Why should the people of Georgia and the rest of the nation cough up $20 billion to build an airport in Chicago, when their own state won't even pay for it?" continued Wilkinson. "Compare Chicago's project to Atlanta's request of $500 million for the new Hartsfield-Jackson international terminal. Atlanta and Chicago have virtually identical airports with identical traffic volume, yet Chicago's terminal will cost more than $19 billion more the proposed Atlanta project, and the airlines have affirmed that it will do very little to alleviate flight delays. The American people were right to stand up against the 'bridge to nowhere,' and it's time to do the same with the 'runway to nowhere.'"
Work on the next phase of the O'Hare expansion has not begun and funding for the $20 billion Program has not been secured. FAA studies show that the expansion will not provide any significant improvement of airline delays or alleviate congestion at O'Hare. Aviation experts say that OMP will instead produce massive delays and increase costs for both consumers and airlines during and after initial construction. In addition, the airlines, including United Airlines and American Airlines, have also called the OMP plan "ill-conceived" and "premature."
www.stop-omp.org is dedicated to stopping the senseless, ill advised and flawed O'Hare Modernization Program (OMP) and preventing further unnecessary displacement of families and the wasting of taxpayer dollars. Community leaders, concerned citizens, aviation industry leaders and economic experts continue to urge the FAA to adopt viable alternatives. These include runway configurations proposed by the Chicago air traffic controllers, use of congestion management techniques, reliance on other nearby airports, and construction of a third airport.
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Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Libertarians Urge Obama to Veto Pork-Ridden Spending Bill
America’s third largest party urged President Barack Obama Tuesday to live up to his promise to “end politics as usual in Washington” and veto a $410 billion spending bill. The legislation includes 8,570 earmarks totaling $7.7 billion, a practice Obama pledged to end as part of his pitch to voters during the 2008 election.
“Republicans already broke their weeks-old promise to stand for fiscal responsibility by fighting to have their own wasteful earmarks included in the bill,” said Libertarian National Committee Communications Director Donny Ferguson. “Will Obama keep his promise to end earmarks by vetoing this bill, or will this be the latest in a long strong of broken Obama promises?”
The White House has indicated Obama will sign the bill, despite his earlier promises to oppose earmarking.
“Republicans are banding together to grab taxpayer cash and Obama is ignoring his own pledge to stop the practice. With Republicans and Democrats working together to continue wasteful spending it’s abundantly clear the Libertarian Party is the only party agreeing with the American people that earmarks must be abolished,” said Ferguson.
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“Republicans already broke their weeks-old promise to stand for fiscal responsibility by fighting to have their own wasteful earmarks included in the bill,” said Libertarian National Committee Communications Director Donny Ferguson. “Will Obama keep his promise to end earmarks by vetoing this bill, or will this be the latest in a long strong of broken Obama promises?”
The White House has indicated Obama will sign the bill, despite his earlier promises to oppose earmarking.
“Republicans are banding together to grab taxpayer cash and Obama is ignoring his own pledge to stop the practice. With Republicans and Democrats working together to continue wasteful spending it’s abundantly clear the Libertarian Party is the only party agreeing with the American people that earmarks must be abolished,” said Ferguson.
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