POLITICS: $328.6 billion Pork-Barrel Approved!

WASHINGTON - Yesterday a gargantuan $328.6 billion "spending bill" was approved by Congress that is packed to the brim with extra pork-barrel measures. Among the most controversial measures which slipped in without any debate of any kind forces the FBI to destroy gun purchase records after only 24 hours, as opposed to the current 90 days. Miami Herald The measure is packed with pet projects, including $50 million for an indoor rain forest in Iowa and $200,000 for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, designed to curry favor with voters back home. Also: Sacramento Bee The bill, which cleared the House in December, has the strong support of President Bush. And: Telegraph.co.uk The six organisations accused the Republican majorities in both houses of Congress of spending like "drunken sailors" and criticised Mr Bush for failing to rein them in. [Edited on 23-1-2004 by SkepticOverlord]

Why are we building a rain forest and buying Disney a bus? Many of these projects should be funded through corporate america and not tax dollars!

[Edited on 23-1-2004 by Narpho]

If someone from today had gone back to the 2000 election to prophesize this New World Order we find ourselves in they would have been mocked and stoned to death. Only the conditioning by a few well timed outlets like Fox News could account for the complacency of most.

If Bush had promised billions in graft, dole for all and nation building, then I would have been fine with it. We'd have President McCain though. Or Gore. Either way, it would be better.

"It also includes a provision, supported by the National Rifle Association, that will require the destruction of records on background checks for gun purchases within 24 hours if law enforcement officials find no immediate red flags; currently, records can be saved for 90 days." Miami Herald

Isnt he also passing that inmate bill that allows early release? combine that with the 423 million in FBI spending. We will need lots of lime for the bodies. (im still against gun control).

Or the 2.4billion in aids research combined with the 2 year delay in meat labeling (though i think im stretching my imagination on this one)

Miami Herald

I think this is outragously funny,

'In a statement, Bush said he was pleased that the bill "stays within the spending limits I proposed, which is necessary as we work to cut the deficit in half over the next five years.'' '

Right, he's going to CUT the deficit, HAHAHAHAHAHHAHA

in a country filled with people that have the attention span of a 12 year old on meth, and a typical go-for-self attitude, you don't really have to cut the deficit, you just have to say you will.

with every passing day i lose more and more hope that things will ever change, for the better.

In a related story:

Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan is set to deliver a tough speech on the federal budget deficit, according to a report Monday.

Greenspan is expected to say that deficits are in fact important to the nation's economic health and may offer ways to curb spending, Fortune magazine reports in issues due to hit newsstands on Feb. 2.

money.cnn.com...

Well certainly my fair Mrs Valhall --

Anyone who's either spent time in business, or has attended a fair business school won't argue with the basic concept of "it takes money to make money".

There are plenty of examples of fiscal disaster in the public and private sector when spending gets too far out of hand, and speculative investment in the future becomes rampant hog-wild caution-to-the-wind drunken-sailer spending binges.

Even the most fiscally progressive conservatives (who understand a balance of spending and deficit governance) are looking at Bush askance these days. A look he is desperately trying to avoid!

-W

Not to mention that we've spent more taxes on the Iraq war than we were told by Bush. He told us it would cost certain figure and yet hasn't it trippled since we went over there?

Plus, why are wasting this money on uneccessary projects when we should be using this money to feed and shelter the poor?