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A novel earmark solution: anonymity

posted at 8:30 am on June 12, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
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Mike Doyle (D-PA) has tired of hearing criticism about his eponymous pork project, the Doyle Center for Manufacturing Technology. Doyle has a unique solution for this problem — rather than stop sending truckloads of dollars in earmarks, he’s asking to have his name removed from the center:

Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.) has asked to have his name removed from a facility he created because he’s tired of being criticized for building a “monument to me.”

Earmark opponents have assailed Doyle for using a $1.5 million earmark to build the Doyle Center for Manufacturing Technology in 2003. …

Doyle recently told the center’s board of directors to remove his name from the organization’s title, but he still wants earmarks for it. In fact, he said this year he has requested what he believes to be another $1.5 million in the defense appropriations bill (he said he can’t be sure of the exact amount).

“We were getting a lot of heat solely because it had my name on it,” Doyle said. “I’m not abandoning my work for the center. Those people down there are doing great work.”

Uh, excuse me? I don’t think the problem is the name on the building — it’s the tax money going into the coffers of the Doyle Center. It doesn’t do any good to change the signage if the porkage will continue.

How corrupt is this? Readers will remember that John Murtha, one of Doyle’s close pork buddies, has given hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to Concurrent Technologies, the firm that Murtha practically birthed through pork. Guess who has an executive position with the Doyle Center? Edwards J. Sheehan, the CFO and senior VP of Concurrent, also serves as the chair of Doyle Center’s board of governors. Quelle surprise!

Doyle claims that the center will spur the growth of defense contractors in the area. However, after five years, the center can only point to six companies that have had any involvement at all in Doyle’s pork barbecue. With another $1.5 million in public funds, maybe they can bring that number to a full dozen. Of course, Doyle still gets his nice endorsement on the center’s website regardless of how few companies they assist.

Jeff Flake laughed out loud when The Hill told him of Doyle’s plans. The rest of us taxpayers may have a different physical reaction.


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Not to worry, once Pelosi gets wind of this she will shut it down…after all she is promised us she would…

right2bright on June 12, 2008 at 8:36 AM

The most ethical Congress EVER!

WisCon on June 12, 2008 at 8:41 AM

More on “this congress”…

Here’s another take on the raising oil and gasoline prices and the so called shortage because of the Chinese and Indians.

(Thought this was most definitely worth passing on. So many do not realize the scope…including China & Mexico & Canada drilling.)
Gas at $4.00 a gallon. Who’s to blame?

Thanks to the enivironmentalist lobby and its influence on Democratic legislators in Congress, the U.S. Has, for decades, been prohibited from drilling for oil in places that we know contain billions of barrells of proven reserves.

Check out this map:
[no+zone.jpg]

All of the ‘NO’ zones are places where the U.S., thanks to the Democratic Party, is prohibited from drilling for oil.

[gas+prices.jpg]
But wait … it gets better.

***China, Cuba, Canada and others continue to drill off our shores where US companies are not allowed to drill because of Democratic policies!

http://bp2.blogger.com/_L6pDyjqqsvY/SBfoVYWcIyI/AAAAAAAANQM/sbwHkEqH6d0/s1600-h/china+drilling.jpg
Yes, that’s right … China and Cuba are actively exploring oil fields 50 miles from Key West, Florida while U.S. Companies are barred from working in this area because of U.S. Policy . So, instead of allowing the most environmentally responsible companies to operate there and increase our domestic supply, China, who has a dismal environmental record, is preparing to suck our close, lucrative oil reserves dry.

Unbelievable.

Investor’s Business Daily recently explained how irresponsible the Democrats have been on the energy crisis. They lay into what they consider to be the worst Congress ever for …..~ Failing to allow drilling in ANWR. We have, as President Bush noted, estimated capacity of a million barrels of oil a day from this source alone — enough for 27 million gallons of gas and diesel. But Congress won’t touch it, fearful of the clout of the environmental lobby. As a result, you pay through the nose at the pump so your representative can raise campaign cash.

~ Refusing to build new refineries. The U.S. Hasn’t built one since 1976, yet the EPA requires at least 15 unique ’boutique’ fuel blends that can be sold in different areas around the nation. This means that U.S. Refinery capacity is stretched so tight that even the slightest problem at a refinery causes enormous supply problems and price spikes. Congress has done nothing about this.

~ Turning its back on nuclear power. It’s safe and, with advances in nuclear reprocessing technology, waste problems have been minimized. Still, we have just 104 nuclear plants — the same as a decade ago — producing just 19 % of our total energy. (Many European nations produce 40% or more of their power with nuclear.) Granted, nuclear power plants are expensive — about $3 billion each. But they produce energy at $1.72/kilowatt-hour vs. $2.37 for coal and $6.35 for natural gas.

~ Raising taxes on energy producers. This is where a basic understanding of economics would help: Higher taxes and needless regulation lead to less production of a commodity. So by proposing ‘windfall’ and other taxes on energy companies plus tough new rules, Congress only makes our energy situation worse.

These are just a few of Congress’ sins of omission — all while India, China, Eastern Europe and the Middle East are adding more than a million barrels of new demand each and every year. New Energy Department forecasts see world oil demand growing 40% by 2030, including a 28% increase in the U.S.

Americans who are worried about the direction of their country, including runaway energy and food prices, should keep in mind the upcoming election isn’t just about choosing a new president. We’ll also pick a new Congress.

Keemo on June 12, 2008 at 8:52 AM

Yep, the most ethical didn’t last long. hey you knew they were lying, didn’t you?

Your library card is safe.

tarpon on June 12, 2008 at 8:53 AM

Good thing Robert Byrd doesn’t have such qualms. There wouldn’t be a public building, road, or federal project with a name left!

highhopes on June 12, 2008 at 9:11 AM

This disgusting level of PORK and EARMARKS has got to stop.

I think the only solution is total transparency and full disclosure. Limits won’t work IMO, they’ll just find a way around them. Look at all the ways they try to protect their pork. Full transparency and no last-minute additions would be a big step in the right direction.

Unfortunately the inmates are running the asylum. They’ll never vote for transparency or limits to their earmarks.

BRING BACK THE PORK-BUSTERS!

rockbend on June 12, 2008 at 9:29 AM

Nice to see the anti-pork credit going to my congressman & my favorite congressman, Jeff Flake.
I wish some conservatives would give McCain the credit he deserves for fighting pork just as much.

jgapinoy on June 12, 2008 at 9:36 AM

I wish some conservatives would give McCain the credit he deserves for fighting pork just as much.

jgapinoy on June 12, 2008 at 9:36 AM

Oh boo hoo!!!! Poor McCain, not getting credit for pork busting!

Dude, the problem McCain has with conservatives doesn’t involve earmarks. He could get full credit for pork-busting even when it results in American jobs and Air Force contracts going overseas but at the end of the day John McCain is still a liberal RINO no better than Obama on 95% of the issues.

highhopes on June 12, 2008 at 9:43 AM

Isn’t the Doyle center in Murthlvania?

highhopes on June 12, 2008 at 9:11 AM

You mean West Byrdvinia.

Rhinoboy on June 12, 2008 at 10:31 AM

John McCain is still a liberal RINO no better than Obama on 95% of the issues.

Right. Which is why he gets a lifetime 83% rating from the American Conservative Union, whereas Obama scores a whopping 8%.

irishspy on June 12, 2008 at 11:10 AM

>

Right. Which is why he gets a lifetime 83% rating from the American Conservative Union, whereas Obama scores a whopping 8%.

irishspy on June 12, 2008 at 11:10 AM

I’m not as worried about how McCain voted in the past – his conservative voting record for the past 10 years is lower than that 83% would suggest (I think it’s like 57% or thereabouts).

rockbend on June 12, 2008 at 12:39 PM

Usually monuments are named for politicians after they retire. This suggests an alternative solution to the problem…keep the name and retire Rep. Doyle in November.

Blaise on June 12, 2008 at 12:43 PM

Right. Which is why he gets a lifetime 83% rating from the American Conservative Union, whereas Obama scores a whopping 8%.

irishspy

Exactly, like last year, where McCain only voted on 10 of 25 issues, so only those counted (getting an 80). In 15 of 25 votes he didn’t shift things either Conservative or Liberal, but those don’t count at all?

So if I only ever have one ACU rated vote, and I vote “correctly” I should abstain from any other votes to preserve a 100 rating (regardless of the fact that I then would not be helping conservatism, I’ll have a 100 rating… woohoo).

Seriously, be fair on McCain’s ACU rating.

8 Votes Conservative (800 points).
2 Votes Liberal (0 Points).
15 no-votes, no shift Conservative/liberal (50 point each, showing no movement; or 750 points).

1550 / 25 votes = 62.

62 That was his real net effect on the Conservative/Liberal outcome of these 25 votes. Claiming that a no-vote is like the vote didn’t occur isn’t accurate. the vote occurred, but he had no impact either way on its outcome… that is accurate.

gekkobear on June 12, 2008 at 4:48 PM

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