GOP Rep Steers Millions In Federal $$ To Ridiculous Purchase

GOP Congressman Steers Millions In Federal Dollars To Ridiculous Purchase

WASHINGTON — In the 1980s, the military had its infamous $800 toilet seat. Today, it has a $17,000 drip pan.

Thanks to a powerful Kentucky congressman who has steered tens of millions of federal dollars to his district, the Army has bought about $6.5 million worth of the “leakproof” drip pans in the last three years to catch transmission fluid on Black Hawk helicopters. And it might want more from the Kentucky company that makes the pans, even though a similar pan from another company costs a small fraction of the price: about $2,500.

The purchase shows the enduring power of earmarks, even though several scandals have prompted efforts in Congress to rein them in. And at a time when the Pentagon is facing billions of dollars in cutbacks — which include shrinking the Army, trimming back purchases of fighter jets and retiring warships — the eye-catching price tag for a small part has provoked sharp criticism.

The Kentucky company, Phoenix Products, got the job to produce the pans after Representative Harold Rogers, a Republican who is now the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, added an earmark to a 2009 spending bill. While the earmark came before restrictions were placed on such provisions for for-profit companies, its outlays have continued for the last three years.

The company’s owners are political contributors to the congressman, who has been called the “Prince of Pork” by The Lexington Herald-Leader for his history of delivering federal contracts to donors and others back home.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/19/us/po ... .html?_r=1

Aren't you glad it's all about "jobs, jobs, jobs"...And "job-creators"... And $17,000 drip-pans....

It's good to know "The Prince of Pork" is doing his job....

Insert standard irrelevant "The Dems did it too" crap here: ___________________________________

I'm pretty sure a Democrat has done it too....which makes it OK for a Republican to do it. I find it interesting that whatever a Republican does is justified by a Democrat having done it first. Can't these Republicans ever think for themselves?

archer wrote: I'm pretty sure a Democrat has done it too....which makes it OK for a Republican to do it. I find it interesting that whatever a Republican does is justified by a Democrat having done it first. Can't these Republicans ever think for themselves?

That's rather funny coming from Lady Jazzer's little angle-biting poodle. (insert Lady Jazzer's emoticons here) rofllol rofllol rofllol rofllol rofllol

The Liberals GOP Twin wrote:

archer wrote: I'm pretty sure a Democrat has done it too....which makes it OK for a Republican to do it. I find it interesting that whatever a Republican does is justified by a Democrat having done it first. Can't these Republicans ever think for themselves?

That's rather funny coming from Lady Jazzer's little angle-biting poodle. (insert Lady Jazzer's emoticons here) rofllol rofllol rofllol rofllol rofllol

He's at it again.....run little troll run
:smurf: :smurf: :smurf: :smurf: :smurf: :smurf: :smurf: :smurf: :smurf:

Those are Smurfs, archer.

bassolegato wrote: Those are Smurfs, archer.

How clever of you to notice that....you would have to go back aways to understand why I use the running smurf for TLGOPT, the short versions is because he is so fond of running in an out of threads with his trolling posts, rarely posting anything of value.

One more reason to reduce the federal budget blatant abuses like this.

Why on earth would a congress person even be involved in a sub contractor vendor part anyway? This is a Black Hawk Helicopter? Are they going to specify Valvoline oil for Gov't car oil changes next?

SOBs

archer wrote: I'm pretty sure a Democrat has done it too....which makes it OK for a Republican to do it. I find it interesting that whatever a Republican does is justified by a Democrat having done it first. Can't these Republicans ever think for themselves?

I'm pretty sure a Republican has done it before....which makes it OK for a Democrat to do it. I find it interesting that whatever a Democrat does is justified by a Republican having done it first. Can't these Democrats ever think for themselves?

Why can't we all admit the D's and R's all do everything .
Then maybe we can move on to something adult.