FITSNews: Lawmakers Get Their Pork Right After Elections
From FITSNews:
...Anyway, totaling $10 million, South Carolina’s first round of 2008 “competitive grant” awards are once again a hodge-podge of local goodies that have absolutely nothing to do with growing our state’s economy.
Seriously, can someone explain to us how spending $30,000 to fund “general operating expenses” at a privately-owned Dorchester County Children’s home is related to economic development?
We’ve got nothing against taking care of kids, but to call that a “competitive grant” is ridiculous.
But that’s just the beginning of the child care spree - there’s another $60,000 for a Children’s home in Clinton, S.C., $75,000 for the Sunshine House in Anderson, S.C., $45,000 for a new YMCA facility in Cherokee County, $74,551 to re-floor the YMCA gym in Laurens, S.C., and $65,000 to construct a child therapy center in Greenville.
Sadly, these are among the more justifiable expenses in what is otherwise an assortment of complete and total pork barrel garbage.
We’ve got the Sons of Confederate Veterans getting $5,000 to “educate” people about the “Battle of Anderson,” while the town of Liberty, S.C. gets $5,000 to reenact the “Battle of Central.”
Then there’s Rep. Cooper’s $100,000 haul for the “Great Southeast Balloon Festival” in Anderson, S.C., which is in addition to the $80,000 being spent on the “Freedom Weekend Aloft” balloon festival in Simpsonville, S.C.
There $20,000 for Sen. Leatherman’s hometown “Pecan Festival,” but we’ve also got $15,000 for the Pine Ridge, S.C. “Neighborhood Festival,” $12,000 for Spartanburg’s “FestiFall,” $18,000 for Conway, S.C.’s “Round the Fourth Festival,” $10,000 for the Lexington County Peach Festival (oh, and $30,000 to place some nice new trees along the side of the parade route in downtown Lexington). There’s also $8,000 for a rodeo in Swansea, and $20,000 for Greenville’s “Scottish games.”
Need a little Christmas cheer? Well, there’s $10,000 for “Christmasville,” an “outdoor walking art tour” in Rock Hill, and $10,000 for the Holly Hill, S.C., “Christmas Prelude” parade.
Of course it’s more than just festivals …
This batch of “competitive grants” also spends $24,000 to upgrade the “downtown circle fountain” in Barnwell, S.C., $30,000 to construct a Blacksville Heritage Museum, $30,000 to build a new garden in the town of Central, S.C., $35,000 to “Save the Chapin (S.C.) Theatre,” $28,000 to build a new “skate park” in Spartanburg, S.C., $15,000 to develop a “SC Rock Art Center” in Pickens County, $40,000 to build a “multi-functional sports complex” in Moncks Corner, S.C., $25,000 to repaint a water tower in Johnsonville, S.C. and $5,000 to “purchase (the) town mural and clock” to celebrate Elgin, S.C.’s centennial.
And let’s not forget the $20,000 lawmakers spent to refurbish tennis courts in the town of Coward, S.C. - a fitting name for the porkers who released these grants just two days after the elections.
These expenses - and dozens of others included within these ridiculous spending lines - are an affront to the taxpayers’ sensibilities under any circumstances, but they constitute nothing short of a slap in the taxpayers’ face during a declining revenue period.
To think we’re cutting budgets for prison guards and state troopers and fretting over having enough gas money for police cars and school buses while we’re funding this bullshit is truly depressing.
...Anyway, totaling $10 million, South Carolina’s first round of 2008 “competitive grant” awards are once again a hodge-podge of local goodies that have absolutely nothing to do with growing our state’s economy.
Seriously, can someone explain to us how spending $30,000 to fund “general operating expenses” at a privately-owned Dorchester County Children’s home is related to economic development?
We’ve got nothing against taking care of kids, but to call that a “competitive grant” is ridiculous.
But that’s just the beginning of the child care spree - there’s another $60,000 for a Children’s home in Clinton, S.C., $75,000 for the Sunshine House in Anderson, S.C., $45,000 for a new YMCA facility in Cherokee County, $74,551 to re-floor the YMCA gym in Laurens, S.C., and $65,000 to construct a child therapy center in Greenville.
Sadly, these are among the more justifiable expenses in what is otherwise an assortment of complete and total pork barrel garbage.
We’ve got the Sons of Confederate Veterans getting $5,000 to “educate” people about the “Battle of Anderson,” while the town of Liberty, S.C. gets $5,000 to reenact the “Battle of Central.”
Then there’s Rep. Cooper’s $100,000 haul for the “Great Southeast Balloon Festival” in Anderson, S.C., which is in addition to the $80,000 being spent on the “Freedom Weekend Aloft” balloon festival in Simpsonville, S.C.
There $20,000 for Sen. Leatherman’s hometown “Pecan Festival,” but we’ve also got $15,000 for the Pine Ridge, S.C. “Neighborhood Festival,” $12,000 for Spartanburg’s “FestiFall,” $18,000 for Conway, S.C.’s “Round the Fourth Festival,” $10,000 for the Lexington County Peach Festival (oh, and $30,000 to place some nice new trees along the side of the parade route in downtown Lexington). There’s also $8,000 for a rodeo in Swansea, and $20,000 for Greenville’s “Scottish games.”
Need a little Christmas cheer? Well, there’s $10,000 for “Christmasville,” an “outdoor walking art tour” in Rock Hill, and $10,000 for the Holly Hill, S.C., “Christmas Prelude” parade.
Of course it’s more than just festivals …
This batch of “competitive grants” also spends $24,000 to upgrade the “downtown circle fountain” in Barnwell, S.C., $30,000 to construct a Blacksville Heritage Museum, $30,000 to build a new garden in the town of Central, S.C., $35,000 to “Save the Chapin (S.C.) Theatre,” $28,000 to build a new “skate park” in Spartanburg, S.C., $15,000 to develop a “SC Rock Art Center” in Pickens County, $40,000 to build a “multi-functional sports complex” in Moncks Corner, S.C., $25,000 to repaint a water tower in Johnsonville, S.C. and $5,000 to “purchase (the) town mural and clock” to celebrate Elgin, S.C.’s centennial.
And let’s not forget the $20,000 lawmakers spent to refurbish tennis courts in the town of Coward, S.C. - a fitting name for the porkers who released these grants just two days after the elections.
These expenses - and dozens of others included within these ridiculous spending lines - are an affront to the taxpayers’ sensibilities under any circumstances, but they constitute nothing short of a slap in the taxpayers’ face during a declining revenue period.
To think we’re cutting budgets for prison guards and state troopers and fretting over having enough gas money for police cars and school buses while we’re funding this bullshit is truly depressing.
posted by Matt Moore at
9:55 AM
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