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There's certainly nothing wrong with policymakers trying to eliminate wasteful spending, but as Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) helps demonstrate, the endeavor only works when they find actual waste.
In 2009, for example, McCain used Twitter to highlight what he considered "the top 10 pork barrel projects" in the Recovery Act, which McCain described as his idea of "a lot of fun." Some cursory research found that most of McCain's examples weren't wasteful at all.
In one classic example, McCain blasted "$650,000 for beaver management in North Carolina and Mississippi," asking, "How does one manage a beaver?" Hilarious. In reality, $650,000 in stimulus funds hired workers to disrupt beaver dams, which in turn prevented significant flood damage to farms, timber lands, roadways, and other infrastructure in the area. The Arizonan neglected to do his homework, and ended up blasting a worthwhile project for no reason.
In 2010, McCain did it again, releasing another list of wasteful projects, and once more McCain's examples fell apart.
McCain is still at it, this time highlighting examples of spending he doesn't like in the Farm Bill pending in the Senate. But as Alex Pareene explained, McCain isn't "developing any sort of larger objection to the bill's priorities or major components," rather, "McCain just decided to single out the things in the bill that sound the silliest, if you are a cranky old man who doesn't like to have to think about stuff too hard."
[On Twitter], McCain counted down the 10 "worst projects" funded by the Farm Bill, except by almost any standard they were not at all the worst things funded by the farm bill.
Like No. 6, starting a program to eradicate feral pigs, which McCain clearly included because it involves pigs, allowing him to make a "pork" joke. Except feral pigs are actually a major (and expensive) threat to the environment and property and businesses. And, oh my, $700 million to study moth pheromones! What a waste of money! Except it's funding the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative's competitive grants program, and if you don't think "grants for scientific research on agriculture" is something the government should be doing, you should make that argument instead of delivering scripted zingers about welfare moths on the floor of the Senate in a pathetic bid at getting some ink for your brave stand against wasteful spending.
What McCain may not realize is that he's actually helping prove his opponents' point. If these spending bills were so wasteful, he'd be able to come up with actual examples to bolster his argument, and the fact that he can't suggests (a) these bills aren't wasteful at all and (b) the senator needs a new hobby.
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That new hobby should be retirement.
Dear Sen. McCain,
You are tired, cranky, and old - which in themselves are not issues that disqualify you for office. But you're also, mean-spirited, a sore loser, ignorant, and a boar - so do US a favor and don't run for office again! Go back to Arizona and live quietly.
Zora
That should be a bore (as in boring) not boar (a feral pig). If McCain were a boar we would be able to eradicate him. according to the Farm Bill ;-). Of course he is also in his old age a boor (a lout an oaf and a fool).
I was kinda going for the "feral pig" part - you ever see those suckers in action - they make a lot of noise and when they're hungry stay out of their way....Kinda like McCain only faster.....:>)
But boor works too....
Had they declared war on beavers and took body counts McCain would have cheered them on.
Look folks we should embrace the far right fanatics and let them have their way. Nothing would end the GOP quicker than letting them win.
Lot of good that did. They won in 2000 and 2004, and had not only the Presidency, but full control of Congress from 2003 through 2006.
How did that work out for us, net? Sure, we regained Congress in 2006, but the effect was mainly to block the worst GOP abuses, not to stop them. And we passed a bunch of good stuff in 2009 (and the PPACA in early 2010), but you can see how things have been going since.
On the whole, Gore winning in 2000 would have been much better for the country and the world.
low-tech cyclist ... The problem is that Republicans are just smart enough NOT to do everything they say they're going to do when they campaign.
I still maintain that the world would be a better place if John McCain's "flying abilities" had led him to be Guest of Honor at a fatal ramp strike, rather than merely being stupid enough to turn around and fly back over the place he had just bombed, with all the gunners now ready for him.
But given that "wet start Johnny" was responsible for the US Navy's greatest loss of life in the Vietnam War (when he managed to turn a "joke" into the fire on the USS Forrestal that killed over 170 of his fellow shipmates) and still managed to convince people he was a hero and not an @!$%# with his stupidity of being shot down shortly after Daddy Admiral got him transferred off the Forrestal to the Oriskany so his fellow sailors wouldn't throw him overboard for his stunt, he'll just continue living the life he has always lived, one-half step ahead of the consequences of his actions.
There is plenty of wasteful spending that the Senator could use as examples if he bothered to actually look for it. The funding for brucellosis, research, erradication, management, etc. in the Greater Yellowstone Area is a prime example. Funding of a program to pay dairy farmers when the price of milk falls below a certain level. If you look at the statistics the Milk Processors make record profits during these periods of time.
The man is shadow boxing, but he thinks the opponent is real. He is spending too much time in the Arizona sun or senility is setting in.