NJ-7: The Leonard Lance Pork Project
Last night I checked out the “2009 Congressional Funding Requests” section of Congresscritter Leonard Lance’s website. This section highlights requests he made for U.S. taxpayer funds to be distributed throughout the 7th Congressional district of New Jersey - ostensibly to promote the “general welfare,” but more likely to secure votes.
Here is how Liberal Lenny describes his ludicrous largess:
As a supporter of more accountability and transparency in the congressional earmark process, I am pleased to make available to the public all of my 2009 federal funding requests.
Gee, Mr. Lance…weren’t you the one who told us with a straight face two days ago that you are a “fiscal conservative?” What kind of fiscal conservative takes part in the Congresscritter earmark feeding frenzy? I thought you were the kind of guy whose conscience and principles guided his votes. I guess I thought wrong.
Specifically, I received a number of federal funding requests from municipalities and not-for-profits throughout New Jersey’s Seventh Congressional District. These requests often support environmental protection and energy programs, higher education, health care and medical research, military intelligence and construction, and infrastructure and transportation initiatives that have state, regional and national benefits.
Where in the Constitution is any of this pork specifically authorized? And please don’t bring up the “General Welfare” clause in Article I, Section 8 because if you do, James Madison - the father of the Constitution in case you were unaware - is prepared to smack you down, in spite of the manner in which the Supreme Court perverted his and other Founders’ original intent.
Which part of the Constitution gives you the authority to pick the pockets of the hard-working, tax-paying citizens of the other 49 states in order to dispense $118+ million dollars’ worth of goodies to selected constituents in this district?
Which part of the Constitution authorizes you to dispense federal funds to private corporations? Can you direct me to the pertinent article or section that empowers the federal government to fund infrastructure improvements in the Borough of Watchung or resurface and repair roads in Cranford? Ought not these municipalities be responsible for their own roads and infrastructure? Why should taxpayers in Kentucky or Alaska have cover the cost of this?
I’m certainly of an open mind with regard to funding for those entities obliged by federal law or mandate to perform a certain action. For example, the FCC requires Warren Township to upgrade its private land mobile radio (PLMR) systems from 25 kHz to 12.5 kHz bandwidth by January 1, 2013. It seems reasonable that if the federal government mandates states or localities to perform a certain action, it provide the necessary funding for that action. But I can see where even that can get out hand. After all, liberals in Congress and the Supreme Court of the U.S. managed to twist the Constitution into a pretzel of fiscal perversion.
Some of these earmarks are outrageous even by earmark standards. $350,000 for a bike and hike path and another $525,000 for road resurfacing in Bedminster? $500,000 for sidewalks in Peapack-Gladstone? Are you serious?
For those readers unfamiliar with these places, Bedminster and Peapack-Gladstone are two of the most uber-wealthy municipalities in the state and a sizable number of mega-millionaires and billionaires are domiciled there.
This year, in compliance with new House Committee rules and in order to make this process as transparent as possible, I am posting all of my congressional funding requests that have been sent to House committees for consideration on this website. Please keep in mind that not all projects I request are funded. Each committee ultimately decides which projects receive funding.
I can assure you, sir, that I will do my part to compel the House of Representatives to turn down your earmarks. If you have any conservative conscience left in you, if you have any fiscally responsible principles that remain - indeed, sir, if you have any shame at all, you will withdraw these requests, apologize to the Representatives of the taxpayers of all the other states for your attempted thievery and then apologize to the people of New Jersey for whoring federal funds to secure their favor.
To all my fellow Patriots nationwide: I implore you to visit your Congresscritter’s web site, study the list of earmarks proudly published and excoriate them for their thievery. I suggest you make a screen capture of the page as evidence: as the groundswell of opposition builds to a crescendo you can be assured these cowards will do what they can to hide the evidence of their fiscal legerdemain.
At the end of this article is a summary of the Leonard Lance Pork Project. Before reviewing it, however, I recommend you take a music video break and groove out to some vintage Beatles as we review the Prototypical Porkers who gave us the Porkulus Bill - I call the video “Pigs of the Aporkalypse.”
That’s a lot of bologna.
*eats*
A viral hit!!
Did your Congressional district generate that much in the form of taxes, Manly?
Oy gevalt…not another research project.
Did you have that list when you confronted him at that meeting?
That’s what we elect him to do. Take the money from the rubes in the mid-west and spend it here for a change. NJ gets back less of its tax receipts than any other state.
Nope. I had no idea he would be meeting with us.
Much like a neutered dog, you just don’t get it, do you? According to the Constitution, that’s not what he - or any other Congressman - is supposed to be doing. Redistribution of wealth is not the reason this republic was founded.
If you believe it was the reason this republic was founded, you are stupid and therefore very likely either a Democrat who voted for Obama or a RINO.
Manly,
you may want to re-read Article I, Section 8, Clause 1. it’s called the “power of the purse.”
and to answer Gohawgs question, NJ’s 7th congressional district is the one of the most federally taxed districts in the country. In fact, the entire state of NJ sends more to DC than any other state in the country.
Call the whambulance..
As a hard working productive self-employed US citizen, I get total tax rate is 30+%, because I get to pay the other half of the tax that employers normally pay on their employees.
So therefore, that is unfair and I should get more help from the federal government for everything in life over employees, right?
Answer me, please (the wrong answer makes you a bonafide idiot)!!
Dog, your post is unintelligible.
the question asked by Gohawgs was does NJ7 paid more in taxes than Lance’s appropriation requests?
the answer is “yes” and then some.
Oh wow!
You are an unintelligent idiot!!
You can’t even answer a question!
is “unintelligent idiot” worse than “bonafide idiot” on your idiot scale?
because you said if I couldn’t answer your question I’d be a “bonafide idiot” with two exclamation points.
yet you now are calling me a “unintelligent idiot” with the same two exclamation points.
The words “power of the purse” appear nowhere in Article I, Section 8. Moreover, there are constraints and limitations on Congressional powers - including appropriations. I suggest you consult James Madison on this matter - and while you’re at it, tell your friend Lenny to crack open the Federalist Papers. If he still doesn’t understand, then kindly send him a Change of Party Affiliation Form so he can become a Democrat.
Moreover, the fact that NJ-7 is one of the most heavily taxed districts does not justify a perversion of the Constitution or the power of appropriation. Two wrongs do not make a right.
Did you not even read what I wrote? If you you did read it, did it not sink in? If it didn’t, have you considered sterilizing yourself so as to forestall perpetuating stupidity through procreation?
You’re avoiding the question, so you are a typical bonafide liberal idiot hack!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Is that enough exclamation points for you and can you count them?
FoL,
You say “Yes” in answer to my question posed to Manly.
Ok.
Per the list above, $118,290,900 was asked for by fiscal conservative known as Congressman Cap N Trade for various projects in his district. How much revenue, in the form of taxes, did the Federal government receive from District 7 over the past quarter, year, etc.? You give me the numbers, I’ll do the math with my trusty solar powered calculating machine…
That’s nice. I’ll try to remember that I’m a rube living in “flyover country” as my fellow rubes and I supply the nation with natural gas, oil, coal, feed stock for the farm animals that will eventually find their way to tables in NJ, food stocks, trucking to get everything everywhere and Wal-Mart.
Thanx for dropping by and reminding me of how much NE snobbery equates with left coast stupidity…
Gohawgs, do you really want to get into farm subsidies? not sure this blog could handle that discussion.
it’s always a telling sign when individuals have to resort to name-calling to make a point. especially when they have no point.
I should have known this blog would be a waste of my time.
Please tell your friends how you wasted your time here.
FoL,
Did I call you a name?
Farm subsidies? Are you trying to divert attention from my question/request?
If one is not prepared to offer substance in their own defense, it’s a waste of all of our time…
Are you and rbm411 one in the same?
The concept of “bringing home the bacon” which is very apt for these porkers, is very distructive to our nation. In summary, it means that everyone will get screwed-over to provide for something for a small fraction of the citizery.
There is one way to stop this foolhardy behavior. There is a bill, Enumerated Powers Act (H.R. 1359), that everyone should try to get enacted. For more information see: http://www.heritage.org/Research/LegalIssues/lm29.cfm