Boondoggle

If you don’t think we have made one of the biggest mistakes of all time in this country, check out the economic stimulus package with all it’s pork and special interest language and then look at definition number three and four from the unabridged dictionary of Random House.

boon⋅dog⋅gle
/ˈbunˌdɒg əl, -ˌdɔ gəl/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [boon-dog-uh l, -daw-guh l] Show IPA Pronunciation noun, verb, -gled, -gling.
–noun
1.
a product of simple manual skill, as a plaited leather cord for the neck or a knife sheath, made typically by a camper or a scout.

2.
work of little or no value done merely to keep or look busy.

3.
a project funded by the federal government out of political favoritism that is of no real value to the community or the nation.
–verb (used with object)
4.
to deceive or attempt to deceive: to boondoggle investors into a low-interest scheme.
–verb (used without object)
5.
to do work of little or no practical value merely to keep or look busy.
Origin: 1930–35, Americanism; said to have been coined by R. H. Link, American scoutmaster, as name for def. 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. Cite This Source

These supposed solons are now using semantics to get around calling things what they really are. The recognized and accepted meaning of earmarks or pork barrel spending has been for a specific senator to attach to a bill something that will benefit his own constituency, now instead of that they just fill the bill up with special projects right from the get go and that way they can say, pork, what pork, “there is no pork.” What was formerly known as pork and special interest projects is now part and parcel of the bill, ergo, no pork, I say Bovine excrement! A rose, is a rose, is a rose, as Casey Stengel was fond of saying. He was great for taking a classic quote such as, “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” by William Shakespeare, and tuning it into something entirely different, sound familiar? Yes, our lawmakers and governing bodies are using words to further their own agendas and payback schemes, this is simply disgusting. I say if you want to pass a bill, then do so with openness and honesty, don’t try and ram it down the throats of the taxpayers and not allow enough time for it to be examined. What should have been done was this; Use a scalpel not a machete. They should have cut payroll taxes and corporate taxes immediately, thereby giving money to the taxpayer and allowing corporations and citizens alike to count on a regular increase on a weekly and monthly basis. That would enable growth instantly and sustainable investment and expenditures. If then there was a need for more infrastructure and long-term investment the people, Congress, and senate would have time to pare down what was needed and to target specific projects. The American taxpayer, the Congress and the Senate wouldn’t have to be subjected to this slight of hand, or of mouth as is the case, to get this past and everyone would feel much better about our leaders, especially if we could have done it for around half the price, that’s right, from what I can gather, this could be done for around 4 to 5 hundred billion, by the time all is said and done, this plus the other stimuli packages will accrue to over $2,000,000,000,000.00 Yep, over two trillion. This bill could have worked tremendously better, faster and with more efficacy than the “boondoggle” we now face. I’m not sure if anyone put this forward or not, I tend to think there was some of this from some Republican Senator somewhere. It doesn’t matter who put a common sense bill forward, it should be taken into consideration not dismissed as of no consequence whatsoever. Instead of putting the commonsense approach to the problem and moving forward, they became froward, that is, they became unmanageable, unruly and contrary just like the bill they want to adopt. It’s not asking that much considering the expenditure to give the entire governing body and the people a look at the bill, allowing time for the constituency to guide their respective representatives and to expurgate the offensive language and proposals from this tome of over a thousand pages. What has happened to the transparency and allowing the American people and our representatives to have a say and input before such a bill were past as in the campaign speeches that were given. I feel a pall overtaking our system and our way of life that will change our country forever. That is not the kind of change we expected.
By the way, another appointee has left the ranks. This time it was Judd Gregg Senator from New Hampshire (R) only this time it was not because of non-payment of taxes or pay for play allegations but because of moral, ethical and ideological differences sighted by the Senator, imagine that, no wrong doing, what is this world coming to?
I believe the main complaint was the moving of census statistics to the white house staff instead of the department of Commerce. That my friends is the sneaky trick that can disenfranchise and put the boots to many American. You may ask how? I’m about to tell you. Instead of many layers insulating the process of distribution of funds and the checks and balances, it now becomes the sole responsibility of the White House and specifically Rahm Emanuel, White House Chief of Staff.
That would make an essentially apolitical entity notoriously political, don’t forget we are talking about Rahm-bo, if you don’t agree with him, don’t fall asleep, it may be hazardous to you political health. Okay, that would allow redistricting, gerrymandering, a decennial redrawing of congressional districts, thereby enabling them to direct the money to where they want, not where it is needed.
This is scary; we are only a few weeks into this new administration and look at the stuff that is going on. I know they want to hit the ground running but do they have to trample the American way of life and citizens to do it?
Sometimes change is not a good thing.