[PrestonSturges]

McConnell was in a key position to scuttle the whole agreement, Durbin wasn't.

[Sixstrings]

We need to get a handle on all this Republican porkbarrell spending. It's like binge eating. First they shut it all down, then they gorge with a 775 million dollar "lock upgrade" suddenly exploding to THREE BILLION DOLLARS.

Conservative group accuses Mitch McConnell of getting $2.8 billion 'Kentucky kickback' in shutdown legislation

The Senate Conservatives Fund, a political action committee that opposes the deal ending the shutdown that Senate Minority Leader McConnell helped orchestrate, charged that it contained a provision in the legislation that amounted to a “Kentucky kickback.”

The Olmsted project is one of the largest construction projects in the country, considered essential but way over budget.

Way over budget? That's an understatement, from $775 million to $3 billion, we could build a dam on Mars cheaper than that.

Congress has balked at the $3 billion price tag from a revised corps estimate in 2011, refusing so far to approve the expense, Richard Hancock, director of the corps’ regional business office, said at a meeting of a federal waterways advisory board.

The current spending limit was approaching its ceiling, which has been described to Courier-Journal reporters at $1.7 billion.

Commercial waterways users have been complaining that its budget was using too much of a corps trust fund that pays for lock and dam construction – between 70 percent and 90 percent. Commercial towing operations contribute to the fund by paying a fuel tax.

They want other taxpayers to step in and foot more of the bill.

While McConnell distanced himself from the budget maneuver Wednesday night, the Senate Minority Leader “continues to express his concern regarding delays in completing the vital Olmsted project with the Army Corps of Engineers,” spokesman Robert Steurer told The Courier-Journal in August.

He said completion of the project “remains a top infrastructure priority for Kentucky” because of the construction jobs “but also to jobs in the commonwealth’s waterways, agricultural and manufacturing industries. Congress continues to work on ways to address the problem by the end of the year.”
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20131016/NEWS010605/310160151/Conservative-group-accuses-Mitch-McConnell-getting-2-8-billion-Kentucky-kickback-shutdown-legislation

Well that's nice, McConnel says this government spending is important for construction jobs and "waterways" jobs in the commonwealth of kentucky. So why the flip was he shutting government down then? He clearly wants federal money spent in his state, for government to create jobs and all that.

My opinion.. I'm a real conservative.. the corporations using these waterways should pay for the darn dam and then you can bet it wouldn't be over budget by $3 billion dollars, if they had to pay for it:

Commercial towing operations contribute to the fund by paying a fuel tax.

They want other taxpayers to step in and foot more of the bill.

I'm sure they do. This is the same old same old from R's and their business base, they're for passing business cost off onto government while not taxing anyone to pay for it.

Mitch McConnell's enemies blast inclusion of Ky. dam project in debt deal

Still, at least two conservative groups, Taxpayers for Common Sense and the Senate Conservatives Fund, put the blame on McConnell.

The Senate Conservatives Fund called the provision a "Kentucky kickback."

"Mitch McConnell is trying to blame others for this abuse, but everyone knows he negotiated this deal, and everyone knows he wrote the bill," said Matt Hoskins, the group's executive director. "If he didn't want the earmark included, he could have kept it out."
http://www.kentucky.com/2013/10/16/2880179/mitch-mcconnells-enemies-blast.html

I'm not sure why I'm complaining, other than this dam does sound like out of control spending.. if McConnel loses his primary now then we just have another tea party nut in the senate. McConnel just couldn't resist.. shutdown had to end and he held the keys, his price: $3 billion dollars.

[Plantagenet]

'Kentucky ...Kentucky ....Kentucky .... Kentucky

Do you really think this will be the first dam ever built out from one side of a river that stops in the middle?

Is there another state on the other side that river or not?

There is a zen koan that goes "what is the sound of one hand clapping?"

Maybe we should have a new one that goes "what is a dam that only attaches to one bank of a river?"


Proposed Kentucky dam (don't worry about the other side of the river)

[Sixstrings]

Do you really think this will be the first dam ever built out from one side of a river that stops in the middle?

Is there another state on the other side that river or not?

According to tea party activists, McConnel wrote the bill and it was his call, earmark couldn't have been in there if he didn't want it.

Anyhow Plant I'm not against dams and infrastructure, but something's fishy about this project with that budget so out of control, $3 billion is a lot of money.

I read something about part of the problem is that the Republican house keeps cutting funding for things then restarting and that's part of what's blowing up the costs on everything. If that's the case, then everything R's are doing is counterproductive, resulting in MORE deficit spending and more debt because of inefficient stop-and-start government.

But I'm sure there's also a lot of $400 toilet seats and $1000 screw driver overbudget nonsense in that $3 billion dollar dam. This thing needs a closer look.

[Sixstrings]

Sarah Palin goes after Mitch McConnel:

Now, the former Alaska governor and darling of the Tea Party movement is suggesting conservatives should focus on Senate races in Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Mississippi where the Republican incumbent is up for re-election next year.

"Friends, do not be discouraged by the shenanigans of D.C.'s permanent political class today," Palin posted on her Facebook page early Thursday, as the federal government reopened and hours after Democrat Cory Booker defeated Republican Steve Lonegan for Senate in New Jersey.

"Be energized," she said. "We're going to shake things up in 2014. Rest well tonight, for soon we must focus on important House and Senate races. Let's start with Kentucky — which happens to be awfully close to South Carolina, Tennessee and Mississippi — from sea to shining sea we will not give up. We've only just begun to fight."

GOP Sens. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee have all already drawn challengers from within their own party who have Tea Party support.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/onpolitics/2013/10/17/sarah-palin-senate-tea-party-primary/3000509/

[KaiserJeep]

The Federal Government shutdown was Kabuki Theater for idiots. They were all there, in the traditional black and gray suits and wearing ties in the tribal colors of Red and Blue. They were all doing the same dances, saying the same things, and accusing each other of the same vices.

I can stand the C-SPAN channels about 30 seconds at a time now, it's always the same program with endless variations based on content. But somehow we never find out about the little bits of pork until we have to pay for them. Earmarks indeed:



These tools are used for making earmarks:



I'd like to use them on Senabores and Congress-critters. I might select more tender spots than the ears.

[Plantagenet]

According to tea party activists.....

Now you're basing your opinions on the same peope who thought up the goverment shutdown?

[Plantagenet]

Here's another little noticed marvel of the much ballyhooed bill that Harry Reid crafted to re-open the government. It SUSPENDS the debt limit.

There is no debt limit right now.

The bill sets a date (Feb.7) by which the debt limit must be raised, but it doesn't set a dollar limit on debt.

I wonder how much debt the obama administration can create in the next 4 months? I bet we're going to find out...........................

Guess what? Now there is no debt limit


READY SET GO! BORROW AND SPEND ALL THE MONEY YOU WANT!!! THERE IS NO DEBT LIMIT NOW!

[dinopello]

The Republicans that were willing to vote for the CR wanted the "suspend" wording so that the amount that the limit was being set to would not be written in the legislation because the number would be really big and hard to explain to defend against the primary challenge.

I wish there was no debt limit. The debt limit should be when nobody will lend us money. The debt can be controlled by legislating a budget such that revenues equal or exceed expenditures. This is within the power of congress to do.

[Plantagenet]

I wish there was no debt limit. The debt limit should be when nobody will lend us money.

Hopefully we'll stop borrowing before then, but with this crew in Washington I'm starting to doubt it.

[PrestonSturges]

Having tried to blame Obama for the shutdown, the Tea Partiers now promise to repeat it.

Although it's tempting to laugh this off as some unique form of mindless stupidity, this really seems to be Orwellian Doublethink. I don't believe it's mindless, it's like in "1984" where you have to believe two plus two equals five. You can't just say it, you have to believe it with all your might and want to see your neighbor liquidated if he doesn't believe it. Of course, they must also believe it equals seven or fifteen or whatever they are told it equals from one minute to the next.

[Lore]

We'll see just how smart these people are if they try a repeat in twelve weeks. If extortion has become their business it would just result in digging a deeper hole for their cause among the majority of voters during an election year. Unfortunately though only among those that aren't protected behind a rock solid gerrymandered district.

[ralfy]

The problem started with Reagan, when borrowing across the board rose, with Nixon if you count the move away from the gold standard, and with the use of the dollar as a reserve currency coupled with control of the Fed by commercial banks.

[Rod_Cloutier]

I suggest a debt Jubilee.

Everyone erase the debts owed to everyone. Yeah, you lose your savings, but you lose your debts too.

The only way to save the economy:

http://spiritofjubilee.com/current-even ... e-curtains

[SeaGypsy]

No worries, 3 months notice with my jubilee thanks

[Plantagenet]

Even Reagan and Nixon didn't borrow so much money that they put the country in the position that it couldn't cover the interest payments without borrowing more money.

That dubious distinction belongs to the current administration of President Obama.

[PrestonSturges]

Here Plant, look at the pretty colors

[dsula]

Here Plant, look at the pretty colors

How much more economic activity do we get because of the bush tax cut? That your pretty colors don't show.

[Lore]

Obviously not enough economic activity to offset Bush's second term which was dominated at the end by an economic recession.

[vision-master]

Here Plant, look at the pretty colors

How much more economic activity do we get because of the bush tax cut? That your pretty colors don't show.