Oh, where have you been, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?

Hum the tune to Billy Boy, and let it play in the background of your head as you read.

On April 9th 2008 I wrote the following letter to my Senator, Bill Nelson. And he received this letter.

Dear Senator Nelson,
It is with utmost concern of your recent vote regarding earmarks; I was very disappointed in your behavior, and quite frankly embarrassed to see your name on a list of 71 senators. I’m saddened by the apparent lack of judgment you and your colleagues have on earmarks.

I applaud the work you’re doing for us on the Intelligence, Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees. I’m glad to see you think like I do when it comes to Chinese espionage. I stand by your quote, when you said, “The threat is real—and, we cannot allow ourselves to grow complacent.”
I just hoped you would have stood by the other senators when they made their case to stop earmarks because that threat is real also, and you would have to agree, you’ve become complacent on the issue.

I know in your heart, you don’t want tax dollars going to France to study the olive fruit fly. But that’s what happened in this last batch of 17.2 billion dollar earmarks.

I’m sure you’re a student of history. Remember what Thomas Jefferson said about earmarks, “It will be a scene of eternal scramble among the members, who can get the most money wasted in their state.” Not only was Jefferson brilliant, he could predict the future. My personal belief is that Jefferson knew future politicians couldn’t handle the freedom they were given.

Your reason for voting ”no” was probably weighed back and forth in your mind and the conclusion you came too must have made sense at the time, but I feel it was a mistake.
To the average working stiff, whose job is a little shaky right now (that’s me), we tend to get upset seeing our dollars passing out the senate door with no more regard than if it were Monopoly money. This is what causes us to lose faith in our government. It hurts to see wise men like you do unwise things.

As a senator you have the fiduciary responsibility to your constituents. When your hand was raised and the oath taken, we placed our trust in you. This is what makes our country great. We can look past party affiliation and bond as Americans. But I can’t help the feeling that you’ve served so long, you’ve become disconnected. This is why you may not see how it looks for a sitting senator to nay on a bill that would stop earmarks.

Our nation is 10 trillion in debt and it grows over a billion a day. Worthless earmarks, like the Montana Sheep Institute of all things, need to be stopped.

As you know, the government is responsible for our safety. And you are doing an outstanding job protecting us. Through your hard work, we sleep better knowing you’re on the job. However, the federal government has no place when it comes to state issues, Presidential libraries, or funding golf schools.

I know this letter holds little weight. I’ve never contributed to your campaign, and you’ve won every election without my vote.
But maybe, just maybe, we could come together and you would reconsider your stance on earmarks.

My hope is that this letter actually makes it to your eyes, Senator Nelson, and not just a staffer who shoots off a standard email reply.
My thoughts are with you’

Sincerely
Ron

Three weeks later, this was the Senators 188 word response.


Dear Mr. H.

Thank you for contacting me regarding appropriation earmarks.

Like you, I believe taxpayers have a right to know how their money is spent. That’s why I have supported several measures in the Senate to make the appropriations process more transparent.

Last year, I joined my colleagues in Congress to pass a law that requires members to disclose each earmark. This law also strengthens lobbying reporting requirements, provides greater restrictions on travel expenses and gifts from lobbyists, and increases bans on former staff lobbying. In 2006, I cosponsored another law that created a website to track Federal grants, contracts, earmarks and loans.

While the goal remains to prevent wasteful and abusive spending, I also believe stopping all earmarks would mean less funding for major State needs, such as the Florida National Guard, scientific and medical research at Florida universities, and roads, bridges, and other public facilities.

Still, I will continue to support laws to increase transparency and promote accountability in the appropriations process. I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue. Please don't hesitate to contact me in the future.


Notice how he didn’t even sign the letter. You’d think he’d at least said “Regards Bill Nelson.

Now I’m getting fairly good at Spenator Speak, so let’s see what the Good Senators words meant.

Dear Mr. H. (Put this name in a file under rabble-rouser)

Thank you for contacting me regarding appropriation earmarks. (Crap, another letter about earmarks.)

Like you, I believe taxpayers have a right to know how their money is spent. (Why are these earmarks made public?) That’s why I have supported several measures in the Senate to make the appropriations process more transparent. (That fancy wording should throw him off his game.)

Last year, I joined my colleagues in Congress to pass a law that requires members to disclose each earmark. (That reminds me, note to self. Take John McCain off my Christmas card list.) This law also strengthens lobbying reporting requirements, provides greater restrictions on travel expenses and gifts from lobbyists, and increases bans on former staff lobbying. (Kiss that free trip to Hawaii goodbye.) In 2006, I cosponsored another law that created a website to track Federal grants, contracts, earmarks and loans. (The old cosponsored gimmick gets them every time.)

While the goal remains to prevent wasteful and abusive spending, I also believe stopping all earmarks would mean less funding for major State needs, such as the Florida National Guard, scientific and medical research at Florida universities, and roads, bridges, and other public facilities. (Play the reverse card. Tell him, “He can have earmarks too.”)

Still, I will continue to support laws to increase transparency and promote accountability in the appropriations process. (Throw in more big words that mean nothing.) I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue. (Why did he bother me with such nonsense?) Please don't hesitate to contact me in the future. (But if you do boy, expect an audit coming your way.)

Regards

Bill Nelson (Scratch that, don’t give him the satisfaction of salutations)

(Hey Marge, get Kennedy on the phone. We need to bump up that Hawaii trip given by the pineapple lobbyists.)


There you have it. The man totally missed the point on Thomas Jefferson. In reality, I’m sure Nelson never saw the letter. Looks like the standard issue response to any mad constituents letter about earmarks. A team of lawyers probably wrote it, making sure all behinds were covered.
All I can do from my end is not vote for the man. Which is nothing new, he’s never gotten my vote.

Oh where have you been, charming Billy?

You can stop humming now.

Earmarks part deux

This is a second attempt to publish this post.

"All politicians will stand for what they think the voters will fall for."

I came across more government spending the other day and it’s worth some space on this blog. Earmarks, yes that again. If you’re not upset after reading this, you’re either dead, or my senator. (How you doing Bill?)

The devil is in the details and I got the details from my friends over at Citizens Against Government Waste. When you get some free time click over and spend a few minutes/hours, but first take your high blood pressure medication. They just released the 2008 pig book and you’re gonna feel filthy after reading that swine.

Let’s name some names. (I love the First Amendment.)

Rosa De Lauro (D-Ct) requested and received $1,229,334 for mosquito trapping and research.

Wouldn’t a $50 case of bug-bomb kill’em and we wouldn’t have to research them? Problem solved. Put the balance back into the budget.

Harry Reid (D-Nev.). He pushed through $1,117,125 for Mormon crickets.

I didn’t know it took over a million dollars to find out the faith of a cricket. For 10 bucks, I’ll look for the crickets in white shirts and black ties….. And if their on bicycles, they’re Mormon crickets. Problem solved. Put the balance back in the budget.

Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) He’s over a million in pork projects. One is for $97,314 on maple research.

What’s a bottle of syrup coast, 4 bucks for the good stuff? So it takes $97,310 to say…… That tastes good. Give them 5 bucks, and put the rest back into the budget.

Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) I’m going to write his name one more time. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) before I tell you what he pushed through, think about how much money you make in a year. Now think about $211,509. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) wanted the olive fruit fly researched. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) represents people living in California, hence the Calif. by his name…. $211,509 is going to Paris, France to study the olive fruit fly. Not California, not the United States, but good old America loving France. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) have you no shame sir?

(This bugs me so much; I don’t even feel like a snappy comment.)

$460,752 by two representatives and four senators, (un-named) for hops research. Hops is the main ingredient in beer.

For the price of a paper cup follow Ted Kennedy in the senate men’s room. There’s your research, put the rest back into the budget.

Here’s a good one, $148,950 by senator’s Max Baucus and John Tester (D-Mont.) for the Montana Sheep Institute.

Why do I feel the wool is being pulled over my eyes?

Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) This guys a piece of work. He got over 146 million for 63 projects in his home state. A ton of government programs for a state… Unbelievable.

Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) over 19 million for his state, in that nearly 3.5 million to save the seals… This country is falling down around our knees, but we got to save the seals!!!

Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.) One of his 2.8 million dollar projects is $846,000 for a Father’s Day Rally. I ran in a Father’s Day race one time and it cost me 25 bucks.

Barack Obama (D-Ill.) The candidate for change just give the people of Chicago an aquarium to the tune of 1.6 million. Maybe his words of hope and change mean, we hope he changes his mind.

I won’t go into more detail, but the list is mind boggling. The list includes government funding for a golf program, a sailing school, lobster study, helping the oysters, opera houses, Presidential libraries (which are supposed to be privately funded) and on and on. 17.2 billion to be exact.

Here’s a fun fact. If you spent one dollar a second, it would take you 32 years to reach a billion dollars. Now times that by 17, and you’re at 544 years. So think back to 30 years before Columbus sailed the ocean blue, right up till now. That’s how long its taken to reach 17 billion seconds. And our congress just spent 17 billion in a blink of the eye.

This earmark thing is nothing new. Just on a whim, I googled “Earmarks in the year 2002” and here’s what I found.

You and I allocated by proxy $273,000 to help combat teenage “Goth culture.”

We spent 1.5 million for a statue of the Roman god Valcan in Birmingham, Alabama.

The town of Moscow, Idaho was given a grant of 1 million dollars for “Intelligent Transportation.” The town has a population of 22,000.

Someone we voted for approved $50,000 to found a tattoo removal program.

This one’s a drop in the bucket, but it all adds up. Someone thought it necessary to spend $26,000 to study how thoroughly Americans rinse their dishes.

Now I love Elvis as much as the next guy. But we gave $4,572 to Las Vegas Helicopters. They perform airborne weddings officiated by an Elvis Presley impersonator.

I couldn’t google another year, I was too embarrassed by what this country has become.

A few senators tried to halt this non-sense (McCain is one of them), but it was defeated by 71 senators who like to spend our money. If your senator is on this list, I urge you to shoot him/her…an email, and tell him/her what you think. I’m not one to think a letter writing campaign will work (they never do). But I will write Sen. Nelson (D-Fl.) a letter, and he will receive this letter along with this blog post.

The only way to stop this is at the ballet box. But don’t count on that. We’d rather vote for American Idiot Idol, than someone who blows through 17 billion with the comfort of knowing we don’t care.

It’s upsetting and troubling to see someone or something you love with a problem. I love this country, but it has a problem and needs intervention. It’s no different than a drunk needing rehab, our nation is intoxicated and needs tough love.

Up next, my intervention with the United States of America.

If anybody sees a senator or congressman, tell’em they’re wanted in the Principals office.

That’s how Ron sees it.

Relax and think of a cool mountain stream

Over your morning bowl of buttered stone ground grits and pressed Cuban toast with a dab of guava jelly. A chilled navel orange pulled into wedges along with a Ruskin tomato halved and quartered then rolled in black pepper. One poached egg, two prunes, and three strips of bacon side by each drizzled with wild flower honey. Farm raised catfish dusted in cornmeal and lightly fried, which sits by a cup of fresh brewed coffee. And these breakfast thoughts.

(Okay, it’s no Tom McEwen)

Things have been thick and heavy lately so let’s have some fun, and lighten things up a bit and straighten out our government along the way. But first, I want to address this.

Our congress just earmarked millions of our dollars for worthless grants and pork projects to take home to their constituents. Or in Senator Obama case, for his wife and a military contractor with close ties to a major fundraiser.

The Good Senator back in 2006, requested $1 million in federal funding (code word for our money) for a new pavilion at the University of Chicago Hospital, where his wife just happened to be the vice president at the time. The million was not passed, boo-ho, but the request was made.

Another Obama request was for a military contractor to fund “High Explosive Air Burst Technology” to the tune of $8 million dollars….A military contractor?... From the candidate who hates war?.... This is where war and liberals become strange bedfellows. Seems a longtime supporter and fundraiser to Obama’s campaign, who by the way is a director in General Dynamics, which said $8 million would benefit from…. Huh.

I would like to say the $8 million was shot down like a high explosive air burst, but the earmark was not fatal. General Dynamics received $1.3 million of $8 million requested. Obama may have been a new senator at the time, but he quickly learned how the game is played…. What’s his campaign slogan? Oh yeah, CHANGE….. Right. (The only change he wants is in your pocket)

I said I was going to lighten things up, and then the above happened. Give me a second to let the heart rate go down… Calm down, one, two, three; now let me try to catch my breath. Focus on fresh air in and exhale slowly and steady…. Okay, now I’m ready.

But before I get to the fun this post was supposed to be, let me take one more run at earmarks.

You can’t mention earmarks with out honoring former Klan member, Senator Robert C. Byrd (D). In fact, when Sheets Byrd (as he’s known to his friends) finally leaves office, they should quit calling them earmarks and just call them Byrds, or as some folks say, “Byrd droppings.”

Over the years, West Virginia has received over 3 billion, with a B, of Byrd earmarks. You can’t go anywhere in West Virginia without seeing something named after Byrd. Most congress members find it uncouth, or embarrassing to fund monuments to themselves, but not Bobby Byrd. Of course when you used to run around in a white sheet lighting things on fire, I guess you have no shame.

Hold on; let me check my pulse… Focus on fresh air in and exhale slowly and steady. Think of a cool mountain stream… And one, two, three, slow deep breath… Now relax and continue.

Look, I know the argument, these earmarks helped create jobs. And they did, but it’s not the federal government’s role. Thomas Jefferson had it right. The states should take care of themselves. If West Virginia or Florida can’t find the money, I’m sorry. Don’t look to Georgia, or Tennessee to build your roads or performing art center.

You want to know what’s wrong with politics, look at Byrd. He’s been in office for 49 years. That means Eisenhower was President when the Grand Wizard of earmarks came into office. Not only that, he’s third in line to the Presidency. All you have in the way of a President Byrd is George Bush, Dick Cheney, and Nancy Pelosi. Please Ms. Pelosi, stay away from Bush and Cheney and sharp objects. You three have to stay alive. (I’m not a Pelosi fan, but for the good of the country, don’t get in a car with Ted Kennedy)

Speaking of staying alive… One, two, three, deep breath in… and out, two, three. Cool mountain stream.

I had no intention writing about this. I was going to be light and playfully rant about something else, I don’t know what happened.

Closing thought on Byrd.
He’s in his 90s, why is he still in office? Because he brings home the bacon. And that’s why politics will never change. Both sides do this; Byrd was just an easy target.

For years my congressman did the same thing, and every time he was up for re-election, I voted against him. However, the good people in my district disagreed, and voted him in year after year. See, everybody want their congressman to stay, they like to eat from the government trough. It’s the other guy’s congressman that’s the problem. Collectively, we need to hold our own officials feet to the fire (Not that kind of fire, Sheets Byrd) and tell them no more government hand-outs.

Here’s a fun fact. Hillary Clinton got $340 million to her home state last year… A state she never lived in until she ran for the senate…Huh.

John McCain had enough political sense to reject earmarks

Remember, pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered.

That’s the way Ron sees it…. Cool mountain stream.. One… Two… Three…