What is poverty in America

..or a "Bridge to Nowhere"?

The Republican pork barrel

AT $286.4 BILLION, the highway bill just passed by Congress is the most expensive public works legislation in US history. In addition to funding the interstate highway system and other federal transportation programs, it sets a new record for pork-barrel spending, earmarking $24 billion for a staggering 6,376 pet projects, spread among virtually every congressional district in the land. The enormous bill -- 1,752 pages long -- wasn't made public until just before it was brought to a vote, and so, as The New York Times noted, ''it is safe to bet that none of the lawmakers, not even the main authors, had read the entire package."

That didn't stop them from voting for it. It passed 412 to 8 in the House, 91 to 4 in the Senate.

Huge as the bill was, it wasn't quite huge enough for Representative Don Young of Alaska, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. ''It's not as big as what he'd like," a committee spokesman said, ''but is still a very good bill and will play a major role in addressing transportation and highway needs."

One wonders what more Young could have wanted. The bill funnels upward of $941 million to 119 earmarked projects in Alaska, including $223 million for a mile-long bridge linking an island with 50 residents to the town of Ketchikan on the mainland. Another $231 million is earmarked for a new bridge in Anchorage, to be named -- this is specified in the legislation -- Don Young's Way. There is $3 million for a film ''about infrastructure that demonstrates advancements in Alaska, the last frontier." The bill even doffs its cap to Young's wife, Lu: The House formally called it ''The Transportation Equity Act -- a Legacy for Users," or TEA-LU.

Christmas didn't come early just for Alaska. Meander through the bill's endless line items and you find a remarkable variety of ''highway" projects, many of which have nothing to do with highways: Horse riding facilities in Virginia ($600,000). A snowmobile trail in Vermont ($5.9 million). Parking for New York's Harlem Hospital ($8 million). A bicycle and pedestrian trail in Tennessee ($532,000). A daycare center and park-and-ride facility in Illinois ($1.25 million). Dust control mitigation for rural Arkansas ($3 million). The National Packard Museum in Ohio ($2.75 million). A historical trolley project in Washington ($200,000). And on and on and on.

chickaree wrote: God forbid we give them "more". More food, more shelter, more health, more education- all that just makes them- gasp- self sufficient.

For some people, aid gives them a hand up. But for others, it just makes them more dependent. And since more than 1/3 of what we hand out is being paid for by American children who aren't even born, maybe we do need to be more discriminating on who receives "more".

Deleted. Please forgive my angry response. I'm afraid this topic is too close to my heart.

We could sew a big "W" on their shirts ("W"elfare), and that way we could more easily identify them, and that way they could be singled out at stores and in public. And if that doesn't work, we could round them up, and.....

LadyJazzer wrote: We could sew a big "W" on their shirts ("W"elfare), and that way we could more easily identify them, and that way they could be singled out at stores and in public. And if that doesn't work, we could round them up, and.....

One public school district is thinking about giving all of their students a free lunch. Seems the poor kids are stigmatized since they don't have to pay for what they recieve. So to make everyone feel equal, let them all eat free food.

OH, the horror... And in some districts because of the poverty levels, over 70% qualify for free lunches anyway.

But, hey, we should just let them starve, right? That's the TeaBagger way... Rather starve a few hundred kids than let even ONE kid get fed who might be able to pay, right?

Rotten little snot nosed beggars!!! What the hell have they done to deserve a free lunch on OUR TAXES!!! Bah Humbug!!!

And you'll drive yourself batsh*t crazy worrying about which kids got the free lunch that shouldn't have...but you'll defend to the death the right of the oil companies to get billions in tax-breaks when they're making the most obscene profits in history; and the hedge-fund managers are getting away with their salaries being taxed at capital-gains rates; and the guys with corporate jets getting billions in tax-breaks for their flying toys; and the guys in the upper 1% getting away with little or no taxes being paid...

But, YOU STOP FEEDING THOSE CHILDREN RIGHT NOW!! You HEAR?!?!

Hmmm... Loathsome? Pathetic? Despicable? I can't find just the right word--but I'm sure it will come to me....

SS109 wrote:

LadyJazzer wrote: We could sew a big "W" on their shirts ("W"elfare), and that way we could more easily identify them, and that way they could be singled out at stores and in public. And if that doesn't work, we could round them up, and.....

One public school district is thinking about giving all of their students a free lunch. Seems the poor kids are stigmatized since they don't have to pay for what they recieve. So to make everyone feel equal, let them all eat free food.

Imagine that....pretty soon the government will be giving them all jobs, at the same pay, with same housing arrangements.

LadyJazzer wrote: And you'll drive yourself batsh*t crazy worrying about which kids got the free lunch that shouldn't have...but you'll defend to the death the right of the oil companies to get billions in tax-breaks when they're making the most obscene profits in history; and the hedge-fund managers are getting away with their salaries being taxed at capital-gains rates; and the guys with corporate jets getting billions in tax-breaks for their flying toys; and the guys in the upper 1% getting away with little or no taxes being paid...

But, YOU STOP FEEDING THOSE CHILDREN RIGHT NOW!! You HEAR?!?!

Hmmm... Loathsome? Pathetic? Despicable? I can't find just the right word--but I'm sure it will come to me....

Desperation is the word that comes to my mind.