Earmarks: Taylor, Childers

Hattiesburg American - Plenty of local earmarks for Pine Belt

Don't sing the funeral dirge for the golden age of earmarks just yet. It's alive and well, as evidenced by a $410 billion House appropriations bill passed Wednesday.

The bill featured $7.7 billion spread over about 9,000 earmarks - all pet projects handpicked by congressmen to receive taxpayer dollars.

Southern Miss will be well cared for under the current bill, gaining at least $6.2 million that includes $1 million each for forensics research and equipment for the Innovation and Commercialization Park, according to a press release from Sen. Thad Cochran's office.

Other earmarks for the Pine Belt include $31.5 million for the Richton Strategic Petroleum Reserve site and $1.9 million for Fourth Street construction.

The presence of so many earmarks in the bill has rekindled an ongoing debate about the ethicacy of such earmarks however.

"Earmarks are corrupting, even if not all earmarks are corrupt," said Brian Riedl, a budget analyst at the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation.

Steve Ellis, vice president for Taxpayers for Common Sense, a Washington-based, non-partisan watchdog, said that while he does not flatly oppose earmarks, he believes the system is "fundamentally broken."

"The system has become more about political muscle than program merit," he said.

But local legislators disagree, citing that they champion the interests of their constituents.

Rep. Gene Taylor, a blue-dog Democrat who brought home $57 million in earmarks in 2007, said the powerful economic presence of defense contractors in his district makes him particularly sensitive to their interests.

"I know more about South Mississippi than President Obama, and I also know more than some faceless bureaucrat," he said.

He said he champions their requests only upon measuring them against military needs.

"I'm willing to go bat for the right program in the right place at the right time," he said.

The University of Southern Mississippi Earmarks

School of Nursing, $1.522 million
Forensics/DNA research and education enhancement, $1 million
Innovation and Commercialization Park, $1 million
Alternative fuel cell membranes for energy independence, $951,150
Early Stage Entrepreneur Development, $570,000
Mississippi rural law enforcement training, $400,000
Math and Science Literacy Enhancement Project, $285,000
Marine Composite Workshop Development, $238,000
Karnes Center for Gifted Studies, $238,000

Pine Belt Earmarks

Hattiesburg Fourth Street construction, $1.9 million
Richton Strategic Petroleum Reserve site, $31.5 million

DeSoto Commercial Appeal - Childers lands $8 million for district; DeSoto misses out because of no request

Rep. Travis Childers, though still a newcomer to the congressional funding game, appears to have learned well based on the $8 million secured for his district in the $410 billion Omnibus Appropriations bill approved by the House Wednesday night.

Missing from the list of district-wide projects on the list, however, are any from DeSoto County.

Still, the House bill includes $8 million for a host of projects throughout Mississippi's sprawling First District, ranging from $3.49 million for the second phase of construction at the National Center for Natural Products Research to $38,000 for improvements to the community center in the city of Amory.

Nowhere on the list, though, is money for projects in populous DeSoto County.

Childers spokesman Dana Edelstein said Thursday the explanation is simple: Childers didn't receive any funding requests from DeSoto County.

Roundup: Childers, Thompson, Harper

Northeast Mississippi Down Syndrome Society visits with Travis Childers and Gregg Harper:

As for our personal meetings, we met first with Congressman Gregg Harper of MS. We were asked by the staff from NDSS to go by there to speak with him although he is outside of our region since no one else had scheduled an appointment with him. He has a son with Fragile X and is very supportive of any Bills that would help in any way. Next up was a meeting with Congressman Travis Childers of MS First District. We were extremely impressed by his interest in what we were there for and what we had to say. He mentioned several friends of his who live with Ds and even shared some personal stories about his past experiences with them. He was very knowledgeable of Ds and pledged his support to our cause. This meeting was by far the best meeting we had all day as far as content covered and reception by the congressman.

Homeland Security Chief Avoids Mention of 9/11, Terrorism in Remarks to Congress - Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson does, too:

As Janet Napolitano heads to Capitol Hill for the first time as homeland security secretary, she is leaving behind the tough terrorism talk of her predecessors.

She is the first security chief to leave out the words "terror" and "vulnerability" from remarks prepared for delivery to the House Homeland Security Committee, according to a copy obtained by The Associated Press.

Napolitano, a former Arizona governor, instead charts a course in very different terms than Chertoff, who used law enforcement and military jargon -- "intelligence," "analysis," "mission" -- to describe the agency's objectives.

In her prepared remarks, Napolitano mentions "technology," "border" and "protect" most often and talks about holding department employees accountable and spending taxpayer money wisely, although she makes clear that the department's responsibility is protecting the nation against terrorism.

The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee doesn't mention terrorism or 9/11 in his prepared remarks for Wednesday's hearing. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., says the priorities are securing borders, responding to natural disasters, ensuring transportation safety, protecting infrastructure and administering grants.

The committee's top Republican said he was struck by Napolitano's prepared remarks.

"This can't be the evil we don't speak about," said Peter King of New York. "Any testimony on homeland security should be centered around the threat of terrorism and what we're doing to combat it."

Harper on President's Agenda:

Harper said that deficit cutting rings hollow, especially after the president just signed the federal stimulus plan. "What we've done thus far doesn't indicate that that's the case," said Harper. "So if we're talking about reducing deficit spending, then we should have never passed a $1.2 trillion federal stimulus bill that was loaded with all kinds of wasteful federal spending." Harper said he supports Obama's plan to increase troops in Afghanistan, but that he can't support most of the president's domestic agenda.

Gene Taylor Blasts Obama Budget

This from CNN:

Mississippi Democratic Rep. Gene Taylor blasted the budget outline President Obama submitted to Capitol Hill today, saying “I don’t like it…change is not running up even bigger deficits that George Bush did.”

“That’s what George Bush did very well. Apparently that’s what President Obama is doing.”

Taylor, a conservative “blue dog” who voted against the stimulus bill, noted he was still reviewing the plan but was troubled by the additional amount of spending for many government programs on top of the recent increased funding many agencies received in the economic stimulus bill.

As a member of the Armed Service Committee, Taylor noted the budget only gives the Defense Department a “small increase,” which he said would barely cover the cost of living adjustments for the military.

Taylor pointed to President Obama’s inaugural address that called for Americans to make sacrifices, saying “It’s certainly not reflected in his budget.”

Thompson picking U.S. Attorney

Bennie Thompson to recommend new U.S. Attorney -

The president nominates individuals for U.S. attorney. Those nominated must be confirmed by the Senate. The president’s office turned to Second District Rep. Bennie Thompson, also a Democrat. Thompson spokesman Lanier Avant said a recommendation for the Southern District post, which covers from Jackson to the Coast, has been in the works for several months. The process started after the election, he said, but before Obama was sworn in. Avant said numerous Mississippians are interested in the job, but he would not discuss whom Thompson might recommend. Avant did say Thompson plans to give the president only one name and that should happen within days or weeks, not months.

In other news, Gregg Harper announces $4.98 million for the Jackson airport and Lloyd Gray says Childers has political latitude on stimulus vote.

Childers to Challengers: Bring Lunch and a Sleeping Bag

DJournal.com talks to Travis Childers about the politics of the stimulus:

U.S. Rep. Travis Childers predicts he'll feel some political heat about his vote for the new economic stimulus package, especially next year when he runs for re-election. "This is not a perfect bill," he told the Daily Journal editorial board Thursday morning. "My political philosophy is the same: I still hate this debt."

"Doing nothing wasn't an option," he said. "I don't think the people who voted for me wanted me to go up there and do nothing."

It would have been easier, he said, to press the "no" button, but that wouldn't have created a job or helped one single family.

He also said his yes vote was the most difficult of his short legislative career.

Childers, a Booneville Democrat aligned with the House's conservative Blue Dog coalition, said North Mississippi's soaring unemployment figures, among several issues, brought him to support the proposal after repeated votes against last year's financial industry bailout bill.

Childers expects political opponents to hammer him because of this vote because, he predicted, the country's economic difficulties aren't likely to be reversed by the 2010 election.

"They're going to say, See, it didn't work,'" he added.

"I ran five times last year and I never trailed," he recalled. "Anybody who wants to run against me had better bring their lunch and a sleeping bag. I'm prepared."

Asked if he might support a second stimulus package, he said, "I'm not interested in a second package until we see this is working - They will really have to show me something before I vote again."

As for this stimulus act, "I don't see it was a bailout," he said. "It invests in America."

Mostly on the stimulus

Heightened Scrutiny: Childers is Jesus: Turning Water into Whine

Bennie Thompson defends lack of Katrina funds in stimulus package:

"I think people looked at how generous Congress has been in the past," said Rep. Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee. "(The states) have to demonstrate that they can be good custodians of the money." Thompson and others say new funding wasn't necessary in the stimulus largely because billions of federal dollars remain bogged down in bureaucracy or tied up in planning. As a result, they said, Katrina funding doesn't fit with the quick-spending purpose of the stimulus bill, which is aimed at kick-starting the economy. Ironically, Bush made similar arguments in recent years as Gulf advocates latched on to nearly any legislation they could find to pursue reconstruction money. For example, he routinely argued that Katrina funding didn't belong in war spending bills and that new funding wasn't urgent because unspent billions were already in the pipeline.

Travis Childers defends stimulus to community college students:

"This bill promises to bring jobs to Mississippi," said Childers. "It's not a perfect bill, but it will save and create jobs for Mississippians."

Travis Childers says stimulus will help Calhoun County Schools:

Calhoun County Schools are scheduled to benefit from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act – more commonly referred to as the federal economic stimulus package – with the appropriation of $956,000. Con. Travis Childers released the figures late last week of the approximate $250 million slated for Mississippi schools over the next two years from the stimulus package. Calhoun’s portion of the funds was among the highest in the surrounding area. Chickasaw County (Houlka) is scheduled for $279,000. Oxford is to receive $901,000; Lafayette $616,000; Pontotoc City $708,000; Pontotoc County $858,000; Houston $781,000; Coffeeville $499,000; and Water Valley $573,000.

Description of Gene Taylor's vote on stimulus:

"Taylor is a temperamental maverick from the Gulf Coast of Mississippi who votes as he damn well pleases on everything."

Letter-to-the-Editor: Harper right to oppose spending:

Despite what Jackson resident David Caballero contends in a recent letter ("Harper forgot who elected him," Feb. 11), 3rd District U.S. Rep. Gregg Harper has not forgotten who elected him. Fiscal and social conservatives elected him to represent us in a responsible way. And fortunately for all Mississippians and the nation, he is living up to their expectations. Arguably, somewhere in this bill there are items that are worthy to be addressed in a responsible way. Unfortunately they are overwhelmingly outnumbered by the unbelievable pork projects that we can ill afford, even in a robust economy. Responsible spending would reflect change we can believe in and Congressman Harper understands that. Would that they all did. - Carl G. Boutwell Jr., Brandon

Harper meets with leaders, speaks against stimulus:

Hoisting two giant binders, U.S. Representative Gregg Harper gave city and county leaders a look at the newly signed federal stimulus package. Harper, who voted against the stimulus bill, called the bill’s passing an “amazing situation.” Harper said one of his biggest issues with the bill is that it did not allocate enough funding for things like road improvements and included too many earmarks for unnecessary projects. But several listening to Harper’s address have already made wish lists for stimulus money. The Natchez Board of Aldermen has asked for approximately $54 million, and the Adams County Board of Supervisors has requested $66 million in funding from the bill.

Thompson renews effort to name courthouse:

Rep. Bennie Thompson has reopened a debate over the name of a new federal courthouse in Jackson. Thompson, a Democrat who represents the 2nd District, recently introduced a bill that would name the courthouse under construction in downtown Jackson after the late R. Jess Brown, a civil rights lawyer in Jackson. Thompson introduced a similar bill in early 2007. But some want the courthouse to be named after Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., who used his senior position on the Senate Appropriations Committee to secure millions of dollars to build it.

Childers Speaks on Stimulus, NRCC Answers

“While it is not a perfect piece of legislation, it is necessary for uplifting hard-working families and getting our faltering economy back on track by putting Americans back to work. Right now, north Mississippians are fighting to stay employed in the face of constant plant closures, layoffs and reductions in hours. The recovery package will create and save 3.5 million jobs nationwide, invest quickly in our troubled economy, give nearly every American worker an immediate tax cut and invest in important infrastructure projects to jump-start the economy." - Congressman Travis Childers

The NRCC answers:

Last year Travis Childers promised us he would fight for fiscal responsibility…” says the radio ad that began airing in Northeast Mississippi Friday and continues for a week. “But now, just a year later, he voted for a wasteful pork barrel spending program that would cost taxpayers close to a trillion dollars.” The radio spot adds that the stimulus bill Childers voted for included millions of dollars for prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, stop-smoking programs and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Sponsored by the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), versions of the spot are being aired in 30 congressional districts across the country, nine of them in the South.

Dana Edelstein, a spokesperson for Childers, who voted for the stimulus package when it first passed the house and again on final passage, told SPR the ad “is misleading.” Noting that the bottom line is about jobs, she added, “The country would probably be better off if those who ran this ad spent time working on an alternative plan rather than a radio ad. We need to do what’s necessary to protect our country right now.”

Bennie Thompson and LIHEAP

From Entergy -

Employees of Entergy Mississippi, Inc., community advocates and a struggling single mom were on Capitol Hill recently to tell Mississippi’s congressmen about the urgent need for LIHEAP funds.

The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program is the chief resource for the elderly, disabled and working poor who need help paying their gas and electric bills.

“Increased funding is needed for LIHEAP to help the growing number of first-time applicants who have fallen victim to the recession,” said Liz Brister, manager of external affairs for Entergy Mississippi, Inc. “It’s clear that people desperately need the help LIHEAP provides. Parents should not be forced to choose between their thermostat and buying enough food for their children.”

Few understand that better than Victoria Seals of Jackson. A LIHEAP grant helped the mother of two pay her energy bills while she finished getting a college degree.

“At Jackson State University, I was required to complete various volunteer hours to earn my degree in social work,” Seals told reporters at a Capitol Hill news conference. “There just wasn’t enough time in the day for me to meet that requirement, finish school, take care of my children and hold down a full-time job. Without LIHEAP, it would have been impossible for me to finish my internship and graduate when I did,” she said. “It was the first time I’ve needed help like that, and it meant so much to me. It’s not an entitlement program. It gave me the help I needed to get over a serious financial bump.”

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) of Mississippi’s second congressional district (right) discusses funding LIHEAP with a delegation of Mississippi supporters. They are (from left) Rhonda Perry, Hinds County Human Resource Agency; Liz Brister, Entergy Mississippi, Inc.; Gloria Johnson, Entergy Mississippi, Inc. and Victoria Seals, LIHEAP recipient.

Harper holds teleconference town hall on stimulus

Pike County Times - Greg Harper holds teleconference meeting on stimulus bill

I joined a conference call this evening with Rep Greg Harper, MS 3rd. It was unsolicited, and unexpected, and I joined the call in progress about 5 minutes after the start. The topic of the call was the Stimulus Bill. According to Greg, the Dem leadership still hasn’t provided a copy of the bill for members to read, even though the vote is scheduled for tomorrow at 9 AM...A quick telephone poll of the almost 7500 listeners was solidly against, 76-24. Greg fielded several questions from the listeners, one from an owner of a trucking company, another from a women in Natchez, another from a doctor in McComb...I don’t know how often Harper plans to do this or if this was a one-time thing. But, I’ve got to give Greg Harper props for the reach-out effort.

Congressional Update

Bennie Thompson warns of Chinese hackers: "Sophisticated hackers could really wreak havoc on our financial systems if they were successful," House Homeland Security Committee chairman Bennie Thompson said. The threat is "primarily from China."

NRCC targets Travis Childers: The ads target a number of junior Democrats — such as Reps. Travis Childers of Mississippi, Mary Jo Kilroy of Ohio and Suzanne Kosmas of Florida — and will run for about a week, according to the NRCC spokesman.

Gene Taylor says don't panic: U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor said Wednesday that South Mississippians shouldn’t panic over a proposed federal private property buyout plan that’s moving toward Congress for funding. Taylor, D-Bay St. Louis, said that the Mississippi Coastal Improvements Plan has some excellent aspects, such as restoration of the barrier islands. And even though the plan has shrunk somewhat in scope since its origin, it is “still a very, very ambitious project,” he added. Taylor said he has told officials in the corps’ top echelon that any property buyouts must be voluntary on the part of the sellers, and any mandatory buyout by the government will not fly. “Given the sensitivities, there was a very high level of concern. They got the message,” he said. When the corps brought its buyout proposal to public meetings in the past, some property owners and public officials feared from comments they heard that citizens may be forced to sell their land to the government. “At least one person at the corps misspoke,” Taylor said. “I want to make it abundantly clear. This is strictly voluntary.”

Bennie Thompson critical of Boeing: "Boeing missed a number of deadlines," House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson said in an interview. "They have to prove to me they've gotten better along the way."

Gregg Harper joins Republican Census taskforce: U.S. Representative Gregg Harper (R-Miss.) joined Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) and other ranking Republicans in highlighting the creation of a Census Task Force created by Boehner and the Republican Conference.

Gregg Haprer criticizes White House over Census: "How would you feel if this was [President Bush's senior political adviser] Karl Rove and the Bush White House that was handling this census? It's the same thing," an indignant Rep. Gregg Harper, Mississippi Republican, said just hours before Mr. Gregg withdrew.

Gene Taylor joins six other Democrats to vote "no" on the the Stimulus Conference Package: The spending cuts and the scaling back of tax provisions weren't enough to persuade Rep. Gene Taylor, D-Miss., to reverse his opposition to the package. Taylor, a member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats, told RTTNews that his opposition came from the prospect of adding so dramatically to the national debt. "It's still borrowed money," he said. "It's an enormous amount of borrowed money, with no plan whatsoever to pay it back." He added, "I would hope that there would be more Democrats who are against it." He voted no.

Letter to the Editor: Harper ignores Reagan spending - U.S. Rep. Gregg Harper, in his guest column on Feb. 7 ("Republicans voting against 'wasteful' bill a source of pride"), spoke of the turn-around of the nation's economy during the Reagan administration. Rep. Harper said: "You can not turn the economy around by spending money you do not have." However, that is exactly what the Reagan administration did, as it spent $2 trillion it did not have, doubling the national debt, and leaving the mess for our children and grandchildren to worry about. It wasn't so much the tax cuts that turned the economy around during the Reagan years as it was the brilliant idea of putting a big bunch of spending on somebody else's credit card. - James Lynch, Brandon

Harper on Stimulus Package

Congressman Gregg Harper wrote in Saturday's Clarion Ledger why he voted against the Stimulus Package.

Last week, I joined 177 Republicans and 11 Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives in opposing the economic stimulus package rushed to the floor by the liberal Democratic leadership.

This bill bypassed the standard committee process. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., forced this bill to the floor without time for the House of Representatives and you, the voters, to have a full understanding of exactly what is hidden within the 647 pages of a bill that would ultimately cost taxpayers nearly $1.2 trillion in new federal government debt.

Not only does this legislation expand numerous federal programs, it creates 32 new government programs. During a time when Americans are losing jobs and small businesses are struggling to stay afloat, we should not expand a federal government that is already too large.

I joined House Republicans in supporting an alternative plan that would create double the number of jobs at half the cost. However, the Republican plan was defeated on the House floor.

As I have said before, the American people know we cannot borrow and spend our way back to prosperity.

It encouraged David M. Caballero of Jackson to respond with a letter-to-the-editor.

Third District U.S. Rep. Gregg Harper listed on his Web site a few reasons why he voted against the stimulus bill.

Let me list the items he forgot to mention: $153 billion to help states provide medical care; $103 billion to repair roads, bridges, and waterlines; $159 billion in educational grants so our children can afford college; and $275 billion in tax cuts.

Did Harper forget Mississippi? We desperately need help with our medical system (annually ranked one of the worst in the nation); our roads, even in the capital, are a disgrace; our children are unable to afford college because of low-paying jobs and increasing tuition.

Rep. Harper ran on new leadership but he is just more of the same Bush-style incompetence. Even though 33 percent of the stimulus bill is tax cuts, Harper won't accept it. If he cannot have his 100 percent tax cuts, then the people get nothing.

He threatens us with poverty and depression unless he has it his way.

I have a suspicion that David M. Caballero did not vote for Gregg Harper before this anyway. But that's just me.

Davis Running Again....For Mayor

DeSotoTimes

Southaven Mayor Greg Davis made his bid for re-election official on Thursday, setting the stage for a three-way showdown for the city's top post.

Local businessman and Republican Mitch Wright qualified in early January to seek the mayor's seat and will appear with Davis on primary election ballots on May 5.

The winner of that race will then face recent college grad William Forrester, a Democrat, in the June 2 general election.

Conservative Divide: Childers-Thompson / Harper-Taylor

In the first defining vote of the year, Bennie Thompson (D) and Travis Childers (D) voted for the trillion dollar deficit stimulus package; Gene Taylor (D) and Gregg Harper (R) voted against it. Zero Republicans in the House of Representatives voted for H.R. 1, and 11 conservative Democrats joined the GOP in voting against it.

Taylor had some choice words on Obama's trillion dollar deficit, "President Obama ran on change. This isn't change. George Bush during the height of the war cut taxes, increased spending, doubled the national debt on his watch. And this is just more of the same, in my opinion...This is nuts."

Childers said he "teetered" with his vote, "Here's what just pushed me I guess, and I don't mind telling you, I really kind of teetered for the last couple of days on this. But this is what just finally made me vote for it. Number one, it's not a finished product. It goes over to the Senate. I hope they can take the bill and perfect it. I hope they can make it better at least."

Harper was more direct, "I wish Congress would open their eyes to the wasteful government spending that is contained in this bill and that will drive the country further into debt. The American people know we cannot borrow and spend our way back to prosperity."

Conservative Divide: Childers-Thompson / Harper-Taylor

In the first defining vote of the year, Bennie Thompson (D) and Travis Childers (D) voted for the trillion dollar deficit stimulus package; Gene Taylor (D) and Gregg Harper (R) voted against it. Zero Republicans in the House of Representatives voted for H.R. 1, and 11 conservative Democrats joined the GOP in voting against it.

Taylor had some choice words on Obama's trillion dollar deficit, "President Obama ran on change. This isn't change. George Bush during the height of the war cut taxes, increased spending, doubled the national debt on his watch. And this is just more of the same, in my opinion...This is nuts."

Childers said he "teetered" with his vote, "Here's what just pushed me I guess, and I don't mind telling you, I really kind of teetered for the last couple of days on this. But this is what just finally made me vote for it. Number one, it's not a finished product. It goes over to the Senate. I hope they can take the bill and perfect it. I hope they can make it better at least."

Harper was more direct, "I wish Congress would open their eyes to the wasteful government spending that is contained in this bill and that will drive the country further into debt. The American people know we cannot borrow and spend our way back to prosperity."