Weiner: Anti-terror dollars going to pork-barrel projects

[DoYouEverWonder]

July 31, 2005

Scarce Homeland Security dollars that could help New York City are being wasted on pork-barrel projects nationwide, Rep. Anthony Weiner charged Saturday.

While the city is denied precious terror-fighting resources such as specially trained terrorism cops, some states are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars for unrelated items like plasma televisions and a paging system for a state agricultural fair, said Weiner (D-Queens/Brooklyn), a candidate for mayor.

Standing at a podium near the U.S. Army recruiting station in Times Square, Weiner described the system as unfair and inefficient.

"We give lump sums to states and basically say, 'Spend it however you like,'" said Weiner, a member of the House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security. The result, he said, is "the most wasteful pork-barrel projects you can imagine."

http://www.nynewsday.com/news/local/newyork/nyc-home0731,0,1645372.story?coll=nyc-homepage-breaking2

[wli]

1. who expected anything less?

[54anickel]

2. Well no sh*t. Color me surprised. Duh...eom

[babylonsister]

3. Yes! Weiner impressed me in the house recently:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=1965344

The guy is good and has cojones; addressing the problems with/raping of Homeland Security, and in Times Square, no less! Lots of touristas there in the summer. :toast:

[Eugene]

4. But that Homeland Security truck at the police station looks so cool

and it makes me feel sooooo safe 30 miles from the city! :)

[TahitiNut]

5. The GOP 'elephant' is merely a hog with a snout getting into EVERYTHING.

:shrug:

[Straight Shooter]

6. In my ho-hum little town, we've got new cop cars and a new building, too.

In the boonies of eastern Oregon, we got a homeland security windfall. Of course, the kids in poverty have teeth rotting in their mouth, their moms can't get decent prenatal or postnatal care, other people are dying because they can't get meds, but what the hey, who needs compassion in bushitistan? :sarcasm:

[merwin]

7. Hmm... Mr Weiner says $ is going to pork-barrel projects?

Someone needs to get Oscar Mayer in for a rebuttal.