The United States of America-the nation. Not every geographic location, including some pedunk town in KS. However, when it comes to PorkBall, frequently pork politicians (Congressman and Senators) distort and refer to "promote the general welfare" while ignoring the entire preamble as written and intended by the founding fathers. It clearly could have stated the several states, and every municipality, township and geographic subdivision. But with purpose and intent, the founding fathers did not.
The founding fathers clearly wanted a small federal government by enumeration understanding and limiting the possibility and dangers of a huge central federal government being dangerous to our nation and ensuring the sovereign right of states, counties and their local communities to pay for their own crap having no connection to the national interest. (Federalism).
One advantage to a huge federal government is no requirement to have a balanced budget. Naturally, when there is no fiscal restraint, any huge central federal government can do a better job than any state, county or local community that does have to operate within a balanced budget.
The founding fathers could have, but did not state the several states; much less promote the general welfare of every municipality in every county of every state. Yet Porkballers do this intentional distortion for several reasons to justify funding of municipal projects with your federal tax dollars. Frequently, politicians try to justify a redistribution of fiscal insanity by claiming they know what is best for our local communities.
What they should be stating is what is best for the United States of America-the nation. It is also important to understand the United States of America and the federal government are two important but separate entities. For example, you can love the United States of America but not like the federal government or the yahoo politicians doling out your federal tax dollars.
Porker politicians justify pork handouts to local municipalities that have failed/chosen or omitted to pay for own stuff related to their municipal infrastructure. To be specific, water, sewer, police and fire, parks, local public education, museums, roads, bridges, ad nauseam.
Naturally, porkers also do this in their self-interest doling out our tax dollars in fiscal irresponsibility to get votes in a particular community to improve their chances of keeping their jobs. But this selfishness multiplied by every politician to every municipality in every state wanting, asking and getting municipal pork is exactly what our founding fathers wanted to avoid-a huge federal government responsible for every municipality in America. Our founding fathers were clear in purpose and intent of staying narrowly focused on a small limited federal government.
The founding fathers were clear the term United States of America is be construed narrowly in the context of a nation and certainly was never intended to include state, county or municipal pork. It was the responsibility of the residents of each state, county and municipal form of governance to choose, pay for, and be responsible for funding their own stuff. (The only exception authorizing federal funding to the state and local level is the passage of federal mandates). The federal government should pay for federal stuff limited to the nation. Conversely, locals should pay for their crap.
Historically, this distortion of federalism started with FDR. And has not abated since then. Instead of a narrow and limited federal government, politicians continue to move further away from the intent of our founding fathers with further and further socialism getting us to the point to where we are now a nation dominated by a huge central federal government. Broad-based fiscal irresponsibility with the federal government interfering and limiting a free market economy requiring ever-increasing taxes to fund more and more socialism to the point where the Abomination boldly proclaims "economic redistribution". Which so much interference in state's sovereignty, 3 states are talking about seceding again.
We, the people of the United States have to stop this nonsense. If it takes tea parties, so be it. We have to stop the doling out of federal tax dollars to municipalities that failed to take care of their own stuff and now expect all of us to pay for their failures to be responsible locally.
So, now let us go to back to our local Kansas federal porkballers and their passing the bacon to local communities. Of our four congressman, how does each one rate in doling out pork to local communities warranting the coveted municipal porkball award? But first, I think before doing so, we have to understand the concept of pork priorities. Given x dollars of municipal and apparently unstoppable distribution of local pork, which municipal pork projects are in the best interests as a nation? Surely, we can compare one municipal pork to another piece of municipal pork and state one over the other is far better from a national, state or local perspective.
Jenkins definitely gets no pork balls coming in last place for local community pork; provided her fuzzy earmarks have no surprises. Out of her purported earmarks of 68 million she promised not to get, only 5. 2 million of pork goes to improving local roads/state highways in Ottawa, Manhattan and Lawrence. (7.6 %). That is it. (This omits 4. 5 million to KDOT to merely study expansion of US Highway 69 to Ft. Scott-Pittsburg area. That is state pork). Why these local communities do not pay for this themselves is beyond me. These are all Congressional X-Mas gifts of your federal tax dollars to local communities too cheap to pay for their crap.
Jerry Moran, despite coming in last in total overall pork around 32 million, may deserve a pork ball for all kinds of ridiculous projects based on asking for the most local pork on a percentage basis. 17 million-53% of your tax dollars funding many local municipalities. And that is omitting his huge pork to local community colleges.
Next, is Todd, "I love giving your money to private corporations" Tiahrt, past winner of one pork ball. Will there be enough pork left for his local communities out of his 101.3 million? Apparently not. A scant 4.25 million. Most of which goes to the city of Wichita and 750,000 to the city of Rose Hill that has failed to take care of their own storm water drainage. So clearly, Todd loves private corporations and dislikes most local municipalities doling out a merely 4.2 percent of his pork. This is probably related to the huge contributions made by corporations as compared to small contributions to his political campaign by local citizens. Todd is getting even.
Finally, that leaves us with Dennis "moore pork" Moore-our undisputed champion of total congressional pork having already won the coveted prize of two porkballs. Excluding a crapload of pork for pork buses both in KS and MO, local churches and local non-profits, Moore's local municipal pork comes in at 75.5 million, most of which goes to JOCO, KS municipalities unhappy that that there streets and bike trails are not good enough. So, Moore only gets half a pork ball for municipal pork dollar total. (50% to local pork); while we give Moran half a pork ball based on the highest percentage at 53% on a percentage basis-a split pork ball decision.
Next post related to this series on PorkBall: Year to Year to comparison of FY 09 to 2010 porkball. Who wins the next Golden Porkball Award for most improved year-to-year fiscal irresponsibility?
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