Porky’s 2005
Via Café Hayek, I’d like to bring to your attention the epoch tale of the frivolous government spending of tax revenue, otherwise known as the pork-laden Transportation Bill."I can't in good faith derail this important bill at this late hour," Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., said in acceding to demands that his provision reopening a runway at Malmstrom Air Force Base in his state be removed.
"I'm sorry the House acted as if it knows what is best for Great Falls, Montana," said Baucus, one of the key negotiators of the legislation that will fund highway, transit and transportation safety programs over the next six years.
Did you catch that? The good Senator from Montana tried to stealthily divert funds to his state by reactivating an Air Force base, while at this very moment the Department of Defense is in the process of closing several bases that have been essentially deemed unnecessary.
Ostensibly, Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) is a part of the effort to streamline the DoD by eliminating redundancies in the system. So what does Sen. Baucus, D-Mont. Do? Why, he caters to his inner sleaze-ball (I mean inner politician), by inserting an amendment intended to divert public largess, to benefit of his constituents. After all, he was doing that which “is best for Great Falls, Montana”. Oh, my mistake. I thought the Senator was attempting to buy votes with the fruit of another’s labor…silly me.
posted by Robert @ Thursday, August 04, 2005
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