Flagging Down Taxpayers

Rochester, New York taxpayers have to shell out an extra $1,000 everytime a local fast ferry (below) makes a trip to Toronto. That's because the ship travelling between the US and Canada flies the Bahamian flag.

Because it flies a foreign flag, the ferry has to have a Great Lakes pilot on-board -- at a cost of $1,000 -- each way.

The company that runs the ferry is having trouble running up an American flag because they have to meet higher standards for crew members. They say training and turnover are keeping them from reaching those. (WHAM-TV) [Photo Credit: Port of Rochester, New York; CIA Factbook]

What Critics Say about the Highway Bill

Lawmakers are quick to brag about the $286 billion highway bill -- and what they got for their home district. Some don't ever want voters to forget. We've told you about a $231 million bridge Rep Don Young (R-AK) got -- and named after himself: "Don Young's Way."

Rep Nick Rahall (D-WV) landed $16 million for the "Nick J. Rahall Appalachian Transportation Institute."

Here's what spokesmen for three of the leading anti-waste outfits in Washington had to say about the estimated $24 billion in pork included in the bill -- as reported by Newsday:

"Nothing beats a ribbon-cutting ceremony on a new piece of pavement. Road projects are regarded as a kind of government jobs program that Republicans
can safely embrace."

--Pete Sepp, National Taxpayers Union

"This bill will be known as the most earmarked transportation bill in the history of our nation."

--Keith Ashdown, Taxpayers for Common Sense

"It's a symbol of why everything else is out of control, not just highways."

--Tom Schatz, Citizens Against Government Waste

The highway bill contains more than 6,000 "earmarks" -- orders that money be spent on specific projects. (Newsday)

Excerpts From Roberts Questionnaire

Washingtonpost.com offers up some excerpts from Judge Roberts' questionnaire.

Click the image at left to read up on past clues to Judge Roberts' views and opinions on major issues. (WashPost)


Click Supreme Court Image for Judge John G. Roberts Confirmation Information & Links

Judge Roberts Road to the Nomination

A timeline of Judge John Roberts' meetings and interviews as he was courted for the Supreme Court:

• October, 2004 -- Chief Justice William Rehnquist is diagnosed with throat cancer. White House prepares for a vacancy.
• April 1, 2005 -- Attorney General Alberto Gonzales meets with and interviews Judge Roberts
• May 3 -- Roberts interviewed by top administration officials including Vice President Dick Cheney and advisor Karl Rove
• May 23 -- White House Counsel Harriet Miers interviews Judge Roberts in person. She has several more phone conversations until July 15
• July 1 -- Justice Sandra Day O'Connor announces her retirement
• July 15 -- Roberts has his first meeting with President Bush
• July 19 -- President Bush nominates Judge Roberts for the Supreme Court

The timeline is detailed in a questionnaire and financial disclosure statement Judge Roberts filed with the Senate Judiciary Committee. (USAToday)


Click Supreme Court Image for Judge John G. Roberts Confirmation Information & Links

The Judge's Money

Judge John Roberts -- nominated to the US Supreme Court -- is worth more than $6 million.

The figures are part of a 67-page questionnaire and 16-page financial disclosure form he had to turn into the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Judge Roberts makes $171,800 a year as an Appealate Court Judge. He'd get a raise to $199,200 as a Supreme Court Justice.

That's still not as much as the cool $1 million he made his last year in private practice in 2003.

He owns more than $1.6 million in stock -- mostly in tech and entertainment. (USAToday)


Click Supreme Court Image for Judge John G. Roberts Confirmation Information & Links

Roberts Promises to Follow Earlier Court Rulings -- Sort Of

Judge John Roberts says precedents are important to promote stability in the legal system. But he's left a lot of wiggle room over the matter of Roe v. Wade.

In an 84-page disclosure statement to the Sente Judiciary Committee, Judge Roberts wrote:

"Precedent plays an important role in promoting the stability of the legal system. A sound judicial philosophy should reflect recognition of the fact that the judge operates within a system of rules developed over the years by other judges equally striving to live up to the judicial oath."

But he wouldn't go into specifics about Roe -- the case legalizing abortion. (USAToday)

Click Supreme Court Image for Judge John G. Roberts Confirmation Information & Links

Patriotism Lite, Part 2

It's easy to have the resolve to continue the Iraq War -- when 95% of the American people make no sacrifice in blood or money for the cause. That's what Uwe Reinhardt -- father of a Marine -- writes in the Washington Post. He calcualtes that when you add up the troops and factor in extended families -- you only come up with 10 million Americans touched daily by the war and it's real dangers.

Mr Reinhardt highlights what military sociologists are beginning to call "Patriotism Lite" -- where Americans place symbolism over sacrifice.

They may "support the troops" -- but do nothing concrete to help them or the war effort. Mr Reinhardt is critical of how the troops are treated even by the government who sends them into combat -- debating a billion dollar shortfall in the VA budget -- when the American economy of 13,000 times that much could easily help our wounded without much economic pain.

But he really draws a bead on those folks who's support stops after they slap the magnetic yellow ribbon on their SUV.

He points out how Illinois and Rhode Island both allow taxpayers to send their tax refunds to military familes going through hard times because a father or mother or both are overseas.

Illinois raised 3-cents per person. Rhode Island, a penny a person.

And Washington insulates civilians from war these days. Politicians, fearful of hard times on voters leading to hard times getting re-elected, make sure we feel no hell on the homefront. More than 285-million civilians stay comfortable while a handful of American service members dodge sniper bullets and roadside bombs and lose life and limbs for us.

We have sanitized war for the masses. With the rallies and yellow ribbons, we mimick sports fans rooting for their team and sporting team colors.

Politicians become cheerleaders in this game. Rallying voters to their side to cheer the team on to victory.

That's not a good model to have. The problem with winning is you want another "winning season."

War is not a game.

The best way to support the troops is to leave them in harms way for a little time as necessary. War is horrible for those who fight it. It should be a at least burden on the homefront, too -- so that civilians demand a quick victory from our politicians. (WashPost) [Photo Credit: National Security Archives]

Bush: Rove has 'my complete confidence'

"Karl's got my complete confidence.

He's a valuable member of my team."

President Bush on Adviser Karl Rove
Roundtable interview with Texas Newspapers
August 1, 2005

Click on the Karl Rove icon to see all Watching Washington posts on the Plame Name Blame Game Scandal

Replacing the Shuttle

NASA plans to unveil plans for a speedy replacement to the Space Shuttle later this month. The twin designs will move the cargo and crew capsules to the top of rockets -- away from rocket engines and falling debris. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure that's a good idea.

Discovery blasted off last week -- the first American manned flight in two-and-a-half years. The entire fleet was grounded after Columbia broke up on reentry in 2003. Shortly after Discovery's launch, NASA grounded the fleet again due to problems detected during the launch.

NASA plans to canabalize Shuttle parts to build simplified ships. Unmanned cargo rockets will be able to lift nearly 100 tons into orbit. Smaller, manned ships will use a single Shuttle booster rocket to carry a capsule -- similar to the Apollo moon missions -- into orbit.

Using parts already produced will allow NASA to create a replacement more quickly. At the same time it will save on design and test costs -- and keep contractors who supply parts in business. (NYT)

Tanks for the Homeland Security Money

Denver's homeland security people are preparing for the worst and using your money to foot the bill. They want to spend $35,000 in federal funds for an M-113 armored troop transport like the one pictured here. They'd re-work the engine, swap the metal treads for rubber ones, and paint it with a chemical weapon resistant paint. They say Denver police might need something like this if Denver's ever hit with a WMD -- like in that Tom Clancy book Sum of All Fears. (Denver Post) [Photo Credit: NASA]

Pork for the Road -- Showtime at the Apollo

The $286 billion highway bill has a lot of roadside attractions:

• 6 million for a Vermont snowmobile trail
• a $100,000 traffic light in Canoga Park, California
• A provision requiring the Economic Development Administration to lease and improve the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York (right)

Senator John McCain (R-AZ) has counted 6,000 items in the bill he considers pork barrel projects. His criteria for pork:

• An appropriation that is not properly authorized by the Senate and not requested by the Administration.
• An unauthorized and unrequested, locality-specific or facility-specific earmark (including those funds that are above the Admin. request).
• A budget add-on that would be subject to a budget point of order.
• The transfer or disposal of federal property or items under terms that circumvent existing law.
• New items added in conference that were never considered in either bill in either House.

His list of pork in the highway bill includes horse trails, jogging paths, and museums:

• $2,320,000 to add landscaping enhancements along the Ronald Reagan Freeway Route 118 for aesthetic purposes.
• $480,000 to rehabilitate a historic warehouse on the Erie Canal in the Town of Lyons, New York.
• $600,000 for High Knob Horse Trails, construction of horse riding trails and associated facilities in High Knob area of the Jefferson National Forest in Virginia (right).
• $2,560,000 for the Daniel Boone Wilderness Trail Corridor in Virginia.
• $120,000 for Town of St. Paul – restoration of Hillman House to serve as trail information center.
• $400,000 to rehabilitate and redesign Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse, New York.
• $2,400,000 for the National Infantry Museum Transportation Network, Georgia.
• $960,000 for transportation enhancements to Children’s Museum of Los Angeles.
• $1,200,000 for the Rocky Knob Heritage Center in Virginia.
• $1,600,000 for the Blue Ridge Music Center in Connecticut.
• $200,000 for the Deer Avoidance System, to deter deer from milepost markers in Pennsylvania and New York.
• $1,280,000 for the Cultural & Interpretative Center in Richland, Washington.
• $1,200,000 for the planning and engineering of The American Road, The Henry Ford Museum, in Dearborn, Michigan.
• $1,000,000 for the Oswego, New York pedestrian waterfront walkway (right).
• $400,000 for Uptown Jogging, Bicycle, Trolley Trail, Columbus, Georgia
• $3,000,000 for dust control mitigation on rural roads in Arkansas. [Correction 8/23/05 -- Alaska, not Arkansas]
• $850,000 for the Red River National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center in Louisiana.
• $5,000,000 for the Grant Tower Reconfiguration in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Sen McCain also details how "earmarks" -- instructions on how money is to be spent on specific projects -- have exploded in the last 20 or so years:

1982: 10 earmarks costing $386 million

1987: 152 earmarks costing $1.4 billion

1991: 538 earmarks costing $6 billion

2000: 1,850 earmarks costing $9 billion

2005: 6,300 earmarked costing $20 billion

There's plenty in the highway bill to make taxpayers feel like roadkill. (WTVM, Sen John McCain Press Release)

Homeland Security Money for Mushrooms

Four years after 9/11, New York City still scrambles for resources to prevent and counter terrorism. But a Texas mushroom festival is safe and sound.

Rep Anthony Weiner (D-NY) (left) is fed up with the current way that homeland security dollars are distributed. Much of the money goes for pork barrel projects in places that terrorists have never heard of.

He points to $30,000 Madisonville, Texas -- population 4,200 -- got for a trailer. It's used to treat heat exhaustion for people attending their annual mushroom festival.

Rep Weiner has a list of other questionable expenses here on the homefront of the War on Terror:

• Washington, DC: Dale Carnegie public speaking training for sanitation workers: $100,000
• Computerized car towing service: $300,000
• Converse, Texas: A trailer to transport lawnmowers to lawnmower drag races: $3,000
• South Dakota: Paging system for the state agricultural fair: $29,995
• Montgomery County, Maryland.: Eight large-screen plasma televisions: $160,000
• Tiptonville, Tennessee: Purchases including a Gator all-terrain vehicle and two defibrillators, one for use at high school basketball games: $183,000
• Santa Clara County, California: Four Segway scooters to transport bomb squad personnel: $18,000
• Mason County, Washington: Biochemical decontamination units that have been sitting in a warehouse for more than a year with no one trained to use them: $63,000
• Prince Georges County, Maryland.: Digital camera system used for mug shots: $500,000

Wyoming gets $37.74 per person for homeland security. New York, less than $5.50 a person. (Newsday)

What Did Karl Know & When Did He Know It?

Timing is everything. And new evidence questions the timing in the Valerie Plame outing. It could shoot holes in White House advisor Karl Rove's claims that he learned about the CIA agent's identity from the media.

TIME reports White House officials may have known about her role in the CIA before her husband wrote an op-ed column critical of the administration. That would give creedence to the theory that the White House outed Ms Plame out of revenge against her husband. (TIME)

Click on the Karl Rove icon to see all Watching Washington posts on the Plame Name Blame Game Scandal

Bolton Appointed

President Bush has made a recess appointment -- putting John Bolton in place as UN Ambassador.

Recess appointments are made when Congress is in recess -- and without Congressional approval. They can only last as long as this Congress does -- meaning Mr Bolton's appointment will end when this Congress adjourns in 2006.

The appointment comes just days after the State Department admitted that Mr Bolton had failed to report -- as is required by law -- that he'd been questioned in a federal investigation within the last five years. Nominees are required to notify their confirming committee if they've been the subject of or a witness in recent investigations. Mr Bolton, when caught, simply said he forgot he'd been questioned. (AP via Yahoo!)

From London to the USA -- Giving Terrorists a Pass

Andrew Cochran at Counter Terrorism Blog points out a hole in US security -- in light of the London subway bombings.

The terrorists in those attacks were British subjects. That means they could have come to the US without a visa. The visa waiver program allows citizens from 28 countries to come into the US with just a valid passport from their country.

That strips away an additional layer of security -- one that would allow the US to look into backgrounds of people coming into the country.

Mr Cochran also points out that thousands of passports from countries in the program are stolen every year. (CounterTerrorismBlog)

Bridge Naming Language

The "Don Young's Way" bridge you're buying in Alaska has been getting plenty of attention. House Transportation Committee Chairman Don Young (R-AK) slipped it into the highway bill.

Al Kamen at the Washington Post posts the actual language of the mill naming the bridge after the Senator:

SEC. 4411. DON YOUNG'S WAY: The Knik Arm bridge in Alaska to be planned, designed, and constructed . . . as high priority project number 2465 . . . is designated as 'Don Young's Way.' Any reference in law, map, regulation, document, paper, or other record of the United States to the bridge referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be a reference to 'Don Young's Way.'

(WashPost)

Averaging 10 Visits a Year

August in Washington. It's a ghost town.

Congress recessed on Friday, President Bush is headed to the ranch. It's the President's 50th trip to the ranch in five years on the job. He'll make seven trips from Crawford while on vacation. (USAToday)