"Then she decides to announce on the 6th that she will support the "Stimulus Package". Looks a little "funny" to me," Vaughn concluded about Sen. Susan Collins of Maine.
Well, Melissa, I would like to be able to say that you have uncovered something dramatic, but I don't think so.
Maine received eight Assistance To Firefighters Grants in early February, totaling around $330,000 by my quick calculations.
That was part of 367 total grants to firefighter operations in 46 states. I don't have the will power to total it all up. But if eight grants to Maine total $330,000, then you can imagine what 367 grants add up to.
If there were only grants to Maine, I might get interested. But when 46 states get money, I don't think there is a link, and when it is obvious the money has been in the pipeline since the Bush Administration, you get my drift.
But even without something sinister to consider, let's take a minute to discuss these grants, which some might argue are great examples of Executive Branch Pork.
While there aren't pork barrel projects per se in the stimulus bill - or at least only a few of them - there will be lots of money spread around by the feds afterwards. Executive Branch Pork is what much of that will be.
To get an idea of what the feds are doing now with firefighting money, go to the AFG grants page and go through all the different grants to all the differents towns, cities and states.
The grants that went out in early February were called "Round 23" which is probably pretty self-explanatory, eh?
Ask yourself as you read through this list - with money going to both Democratic and Republican areas - who figures out where the money should go?
Do you think Congressional offices make any calls to urge the bureaucrats to send money their way? Do you think cities and states lobby for any money?
If Congress stuffed these items in a spending bill, people would be outraged. But when it is released by a federal agency within the Department of Homeland Security, it hardly causes a ripple in the news cycle.
King Cove Fire & Rescue in King Cove Alaska gets $3,333 for Equipment.
Shady Grove Fire & Rescue in Mena, Arkansas gets $105,000 for Training.
And on and on and on.
If you want to read the 64 page document on who qualifies and how to qualify for money, enjoy it with a beer and a sandwich at http://www.firegrantsupport.com/docs/2008AFGguidance.pdf
And after reading through this, then tell me with a straight face that this wouldn't be called "pork" if approved by lawmakers.
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