ledhead36
03-17-2009, 07:53 AM
Heard this guy is an avid outdoorsmen. Glad to see that flounder gets 1 million.
LoBiondo earmarks $14M. for district
By MICHAEL MILLER Staff Writer, 609-463-6712
Published: Friday, March 13, 2009
The $410 billion federal spending plan signed Wednesday by President Barack Obama is not getting nearly as much attention as the $7 billion in congressional earmarks included for things such as studying summer flounder, growing a better cranberry and replenishing beaches. These are some of the $14 million in projects U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo, R-2nd, secured this week for his southern New Jersey district as part of the omnibus bill.
All told, New Jersey was responsible for 220 line items worth $150 million of the $7.7 billion in earmarked spending, according to the government watchdog Tax-payers for Common Sense.
LoBiondo has criticized the earmark system but said Thursday that the projects he backed at least went through a time-consuming vetting process - unlike projects "air-dropped" into the spending plan at the last minute.
"The projects that are air-dropped in - they're the ones that are causing the real problems. Hopefully Congress will move closer to the model I use where everything is transparent and there is a cost-benefit analysis laid out so the clear advantage to the district is easily understood," he told The Press of Atlantic City.
Congressional earmarks reflect just 1.8 percent of the $410 billion spending plan. But they drew more national attention than the remainder of the $402 billion in spending this week.
Steve Ellis, vice president of the Taxpayers for Common Sense, said the disproportionate scrutiny is deserved.
"There are thousands of projects worth billions of dollars and nobody can say if these are the most pressing needs facing the country," he said. "We would be much better served if we had a merit-based system."
The current system leads to wide disparities, Ellis said. An analysis by his nonprofit group suggested New Jersey residents were getting shortchanged in per-capita spending. For example, Mississippi, a state with half of New Jersey's population, is getting twice as much in earmarks.
"There is a lot of parochialism. Nobody in New Jersey should kid themselves. At the end of the day, New Jersey comes in 17th worst overall in earmarked spending," Ellis said.
LoBiondo sponsored spending items that included:
$6.5 million for beach replenishment.
$451,000 for breeding disease-resistant cranberries and blueberries.
$1 million to study declining summer flounder.
$1.5 million for the Police Athletic League.
$200,000 for Drug Abuse Resistance Education.
$888,000 to dredge the Intracoastal Waterway.
Each of the projects has defenders and supporters in southern New Jersey.
"A healthy flounder fishery is vital to tourism in New Jersey," said Randy Roash, of the Strathmere Fishing and Environmental Club.
"Current research is appropriate. It's important for the economic health of New Jersey and the fishing industry."
Longport boater Walt Wescoat said dredging the Intracoastal Waterway a navigable channel behind the barrier islands from New Jersey to Florida - improves boater safety on the water and attracts more business to local marinas.
He used to take friends' boats down to Florida during the off-season, traveling by the Intracoastal Waterway as much as he could.
"It is very important. If the boat isn't fast or seaworthy enough to make the trip down to Norfolk, Va., I won't make the trip," he said. "By keeping the Intracoastal Waterway open, marinas benefit. They get more business."
LoBiondo said he had to defend his projects to other lawmakers.
"Beach replenishment," he said. "I constantly remind them, especially in this economy, it's not about people getting a suntan. It's about jobs and small businesses."
And unlike the stimulus money, the earmarked projects in the spending bill have been identified by name, he said.
"We have no idea how that will be spent," LoBiondo said of the separate stimulus money funneled through the states. "In the omnibus bill everyone knows where (money) was going."
LoBiondo repeated his criticism earlier this month about the state's directing federal stimulus money for transportation projects - particularly the Route 52 causeway in Ocean City - that are already under construction.
Meanwhile, the state is virtually ignoring places such as Cumberland County.
"I think any wasteful spending is absolutely wrong and people should be outraged," LoBiondo said. "They say it's only a couple dollars here, a couple dollars there. They're badly mistaken. Every single project should have total transparency and accountability."
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/184/story/427517.html
LoBiondo earmarks $14M. for district
By MICHAEL MILLER Staff Writer, 609-463-6712
Published: Friday, March 13, 2009
The $410 billion federal spending plan signed Wednesday by President Barack Obama is not getting nearly as much attention as the $7 billion in congressional earmarks included for things such as studying summer flounder, growing a better cranberry and replenishing beaches. These are some of the $14 million in projects U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo, R-2nd, secured this week for his southern New Jersey district as part of the omnibus bill.
All told, New Jersey was responsible for 220 line items worth $150 million of the $7.7 billion in earmarked spending, according to the government watchdog Tax-payers for Common Sense.
LoBiondo has criticized the earmark system but said Thursday that the projects he backed at least went through a time-consuming vetting process - unlike projects "air-dropped" into the spending plan at the last minute.
"The projects that are air-dropped in - they're the ones that are causing the real problems. Hopefully Congress will move closer to the model I use where everything is transparent and there is a cost-benefit analysis laid out so the clear advantage to the district is easily understood," he told The Press of Atlantic City.
Congressional earmarks reflect just 1.8 percent of the $410 billion spending plan. But they drew more national attention than the remainder of the $402 billion in spending this week.
Steve Ellis, vice president of the Taxpayers for Common Sense, said the disproportionate scrutiny is deserved.
"There are thousands of projects worth billions of dollars and nobody can say if these are the most pressing needs facing the country," he said. "We would be much better served if we had a merit-based system."
The current system leads to wide disparities, Ellis said. An analysis by his nonprofit group suggested New Jersey residents were getting shortchanged in per-capita spending. For example, Mississippi, a state with half of New Jersey's population, is getting twice as much in earmarks.
"There is a lot of parochialism. Nobody in New Jersey should kid themselves. At the end of the day, New Jersey comes in 17th worst overall in earmarked spending," Ellis said.
LoBiondo sponsored spending items that included:
$6.5 million for beach replenishment.
$451,000 for breeding disease-resistant cranberries and blueberries.
$1 million to study declining summer flounder.
$1.5 million for the Police Athletic League.
$200,000 for Drug Abuse Resistance Education.
$888,000 to dredge the Intracoastal Waterway.
Each of the projects has defenders and supporters in southern New Jersey.
"A healthy flounder fishery is vital to tourism in New Jersey," said Randy Roash, of the Strathmere Fishing and Environmental Club.
"Current research is appropriate. It's important for the economic health of New Jersey and the fishing industry."
Longport boater Walt Wescoat said dredging the Intracoastal Waterway a navigable channel behind the barrier islands from New Jersey to Florida - improves boater safety on the water and attracts more business to local marinas.
He used to take friends' boats down to Florida during the off-season, traveling by the Intracoastal Waterway as much as he could.
"It is very important. If the boat isn't fast or seaworthy enough to make the trip down to Norfolk, Va., I won't make the trip," he said. "By keeping the Intracoastal Waterway open, marinas benefit. They get more business."
LoBiondo said he had to defend his projects to other lawmakers.
"Beach replenishment," he said. "I constantly remind them, especially in this economy, it's not about people getting a suntan. It's about jobs and small businesses."
And unlike the stimulus money, the earmarked projects in the spending bill have been identified by name, he said.
"We have no idea how that will be spent," LoBiondo said of the separate stimulus money funneled through the states. "In the omnibus bill everyone knows where (money) was going."
LoBiondo repeated his criticism earlier this month about the state's directing federal stimulus money for transportation projects - particularly the Route 52 causeway in Ocean City - that are already under construction.
Meanwhile, the state is virtually ignoring places such as Cumberland County.
"I think any wasteful spending is absolutely wrong and people should be outraged," LoBiondo said. "They say it's only a couple dollars here, a couple dollars there. They're badly mistaken. Every single project should have total transparency and accountability."
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/184/story/427517.html