Monday February 14, 2011 8:55 am
...But buried deeply (click here) in these 359 pages of ugly surprises is a provision that would mean one community in America would do a lot better than all of the others. The legislation added an estimated $450 million for a particular bit of defense spending that the Department of Defense did not ask for and does not want.
The item is a down payment that would obligate the federal government to future payments that could well be three or four times the increased spending added to this particular piece of legislation, with a big portion of the funds flowing to two cities in Ohio—Cincinnati, where Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) grew up, and Dayton, the largest city in his congressional district.
The money will go to pay the costs to General Electric Co.’s General Electric Aviation unit and the British-owned Rolls Royce Group for their development of an engine for the new Joint Strike Fighter aircraft—money that looks, feels, and smells very much like an earmark....
Speaker of the House John Boehner is a master of bringing pork contracts back to his home district. The two most well known projects -both of which the Pentagon has declared are completely unnecessary- is a replacement engine for the International Joint Strike Fighter (estimated at $29 Billion) and the refurbishing of M1 tanks so they can be shipped to Arizona to sit in storage (estimated at $17 Billion).
What's your response to Republicans like Boehner who cry and bleat constantly about the need to reduce spending, but absolutely refuse to give up the $46 Billion in pork barrel spending that's going on in their own district?
Oh, that was a couple years ago, huh? Right.
29 Aug 2013
Last night, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) (click here) sent a letter to the president requesting that he clearly articulate to the American people and Congress "his objectives, policy, and strategy for any potential intervention in Syria." He told the president that it was essential that he address "the basis any use of force would be legally justified and how the justification comports with the exclusive authority of Congressional authorization under Article I of the Constitution."
The Speaker wrote that "our nation’s response to the deterioration and atrocities in Syria has implications not just in Syria, but also for America’s credibility across the globe, especially in places like Iran."
And he expressed concern over "potential scenarios our response might trigger or accelerate. These considerations include the Assad regime potentially losing command and control of its stock of chemical weapons or terrorist organizations – especially those tied to al Qaeda – gaining greater control of and maintaining territory."
There are chemical weapons reported that are tied to al Qaeda? LIE.
From the letter:
I respectfully request that you, as our country’s commander-in-chief, personally make the case to the American people and Congress for how potential military action will secure American national security interests, preserve America’s credibility, deter the future use of chemical weapons, and, critically, be a part of our broader policy and strategy.
In addition, it is essential you address on what basis any use of force would be legally justified and how the justification comports with the exclusive authority of Congressional authorization under Article I of the Constitution....
Speaker Boner has been doing nothing but playing the political game of impeachment and displacement of the authority of the Executive Branch to the House. This is all political with the Right Wing. It is their 'base' they are showing how the real President actually is. It is all rhetorical. So, now our military is the puppet of political rhetoric. Gee, I wonder where this is headed?
