Shame is gone from politics of pork

[Pale Blue Dot]

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/7735146.htm

The U.S. Senate is set to vote this week on a spending bill that includes more than a half-billion dollars for Pennsylvania and New Jersey projects, ranging from horsemanship training for troubled youths in Harrisburg to blueberry-disease research at Rutgers University.

It would be by far the largest single helping of federal pork that either state has ever won: at least $390 million for Pennsylvania and a minimum of $225 million for New Jersey, according to an Inquirer analysis.

Not surprisingly, good-government groups are gnashing their teeth, and budget watchdogs are barking. But the politicians bringing the bacon back to the region seem more proud than abashed.

"It's really nice to be able to help the home town," said Sen. Arlen Specter (R., Pa.), chuckling when told he was a finalist for the dubious honor of "Porker of the Year," awarded by the Washington-based organization Citizens Against Government Waste.

A really disgusting article.

[JasonDeter]

1. A major reason why I believe California should secede

We are the ones who are paying the majority of the pork these republicans are so glib about.

[lcordero]

2. California ain't the only one

New York gets shorted 15 cents for every dollar going to DC.

[Art_from_Ark]

3. We need a new Senator Proxmire to point waste like this out

http://www.taxpayer.net/awards/goldenfleece/index.htm

[schultzee]

4. After CAFTA an add on to NAFTA, Louisiana should secede,

becauese 22 parishes (counties elsewhere) will be affected and the net jobs increased will be far less than that which is lost, plus the value of land owned by cane farmers will plummet affecting he banking sector, retail sales of farm equipment, and all other businesses. I wish Bush would just resign. He is nothing but a greed pig who cares nothing for average americans except how he can steal the little they have and have it flow up, not trickle up, to his greed pig friends.

[cthrumatrix]

5. no...it's the media that has "no honor" to expose the evil in the WH

and it's policies and proposed bills...if they shared what these bills contain they would be booted out of office

[soup]

6. Porker of the Year

>"It's really nice to be able to help the home town," said Sen. Arlen Specter (R., Pa.), chuckling when told he was a finalist for the dubious honor of "Porker of the Year," awarded by the Washington-based organization Citizens Against Government Waste.<

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Posted this database last week, thought this would be another good chance to get the info out there. It's searchable state by state, and was compiled by the watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense from the omnibus spending bill that will be considered by the Senate the week of Jan. 19.

Here's Pennsylvania's Pork list in the category of
Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education:
http://www.sptimes.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/FreshPork.woa/1/wo/teCmpYRjUHkSihSwE9Xo1g/0.5

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Looking through that list, came across something called the 'Silver Ring Thing' - out of curiosity, looked that up.

>snip<
In fiscal 2003, Congress issued earmarks for 33 pregnancy prevention programs through the HHS budget, according to a review of earmarks by Youth Today. All 33, totaling $3.7 million, went to abstinence-only programs.

Thirty-one of them were inserted into the federal budget by Sens. Arlen Specter and Rick Santorum, both Republicans from Pennsylvania. Five of them are in Pitts’ 16th congressional district.

>snip<

Money for the 2003 earmarks came from the State AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAPS), authorized under the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act at $714 million that year. According to guidelines published by the Health Resources and Services Administration (the HHS agency that administers the funding), ADAPS money is supposed to go for “medications for the treatment of HIV disease,” to “purchase health insurance for eligible clients,” or for “services that enhance access, adherence, and monitoring of drug treatments.”

The top Pennsylvania money-getter was Silver Ring Thing (SRT), based in the Pittsburgh suburb of Sewickley, which won a $700,000 earmark. SRT specializes in putting on two-hour, concert-like performances of skits, music and light shows that deal with sexuality issues. The performances take place in community centers, schools and arenas. At the end, youths in the audience are asked to wear a silver ring to symbolize their commitment to chastity until marriage (The rings are available for purchase at the events.)

SRT’s website says the program hopes to persuade 40,000 teens to make virginity pledges by 2004. Although the program does not require any commitment to God, SRT encourages youth to “invite God to help them keep their pledge.”
http://www.youthtoday.org/youthtoday/story4.html

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from April, 2003-
Abstinence-Only Earmarks Signify New Federal Funding Agenda

>snip<
While the Silver Ring Thing draws both religious and non-religiously affiliated students and holds events in public and private venues, the program is Christian-based. During the pledging ceremony, participants have the opportunity to make a covenant with God regarding their decision to remain abstinent until marriage.

Because of the limits placed on the use of federal funds by the establishment clause of the First Amendment, accepting federal funding should restrict some of the program's spiritual message. But, as Silver Ring Thing founder Dennis Pattyn told the Agape Press, "The enemy certainly is out there wanting to destroy the work-and sometimes the enemy is actually the church itself, unbelievably-but we're having to be much more careful about how we operate. We don't ever want to take the gospel of our message because we believe the power for abstinence is a changed heart, not a ring on a finger." Pattyn estimates that 20 percent of participants who receive the silver ring also choose to "give their lives over to Christ."

Advocates of comprehensive sexuality education are concerned that Senator Specter's method of securing individual earmarks for his state's abstinence-only-until-marriage programs sets a disturbing precedent for other lawmakers looking to appease their conservative constituencies and that young people's health may suffer because of it.
http://www.siecus.org/policy/PUpdates/pdate0054.html

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chuckling.
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2004

Abstinence education projects in western Pennsylvania include:

• $400,000 for Silver Ring Thing in Sewickley.
• $136,000 for Washington Hospital Teen Outreach Academy for Adolescent Health in Washington.
• $136,000 for Women’s Care Center of Erie County, Inc., Abstinence Advantage Program in Erie.

• $111,000 for Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh.
• $88,000 for Keystone Economic Development Corporation in Johnstown.
• $74,000 for the Guidance Center Project RAPPORT in Ridgway.
• $50,000 for Perseus House, Inc., in Erie.

• $50,000 for Potter County Human Services in Roulette.
• $41,000 for Victim Resource Center, Inc., in Franklin.
• $23,000 for New Brighton School District in New Brighton.
http://www.senate.gov/~specter/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&PressRelease_id=549&Month=12&Year=2003

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Abstinence education projects in central Pennsylvania include:

• $136,000 for Diakon Lutheran Social Ministries in Mechanicsburg.
• $101,000 for School District of Lancaster, Project IMPACT in Lancaster.
• $84,000 for Tuscarora Intermediate Unit in McVeytown.
• $82,000 for Real Commitment in Gettysburg.
• $79,000 for Central Mountain Middle School East, Keystone Central School District, in Mill Hall.
• $71,000 for Rape and Victim Assistance Center of Schuylkill County in Pottsville.
• $51,000 for Heart Beat in Millerstown.
• $50,000 for Partners in Family and Community Development in Ephrata.
• $50,000 for York County Human Life Services, Inc. in York.
http://www.senate.gov/~specter/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&PressRelease_id=547&Month=12&Year=2003

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Projects expected to receive funding include:

• $136,000 to the Neighborhood United Against Drugs in Philadelphia.

• $126,000 to the Urban Family Council in Philadelphia.

• $112,000 to LaSalle University in Philadelphia.

• $109,000 to Our Children’s Future with Health Inc., in Philadelphia.

• $105,000 to the City of Chester, Bureau of Health, Sexual Abstinence Education and Resource Project (SABER).

• $102,000 to the School District of Philadelphia.

• $95,000 to the Diakon Lutheran Social Ministries in Topton.

• $92,000 to L.V.C.P.T.P, St. Lukes Health Network, CHOICE Program.

• $86,000 to the George Washington Carver Community Center, Project A.C.E. in Norristown.

• $74,000 to the Lackawanna Trail School District in Factoryville.

• $72,000 to the Nueva Esperanza in Philadelphia.

• $72,000 to the Partners in Family and Community Development in Athens.

• $50,000 to Shepard’s Maternity House Inc., in East Stroudsburg.

• $41,000 to the Chester County Health Dept. Chester County Government Services Center.
http://www.senate.gov/~specter/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&PressRelease_id=548&Month=12&Year=2003

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In all, Pennsylvania would receive a total $422,170,775 for 664 projects in the 2004 fiscal year that began Oct. 1. Of that, 584 projects worth $111 million was earmarked from the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on Labor, Health Human Services and Education that Specter chairs.

Nearly 20 percent of the 2,932 projects nationwide awarded by Specter's subcommittee was earmarked for Pennsylvania, Ashdown said.

>snip<

As a subcommittee chairman, Specter "has been able to review the nearly 2,000 requests he gets for earmark funding, and conduct a careful analysis to determine which projects are the most meritorious," said spokesman William Reynolds. "He is very effective in ensuring Pennsylvania gets its fair return on tax dollars."
http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/103-01152004-227902.html

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Brief History of Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Education

>snip<
AFLA: the birthplace of abstinence-only programs.

The U.S. Office of Population Affairs began administering the Adolescent Family Life Act (AFLA) in 1981. This program was designed to prevent teen pregnancy by promoting chastity and self-discipline.<1> During its first year, AFLA received $11 million in federal funds. In fiscal year 2000, AFLA received $19 million.

AFLA’s early programs taught abstinence as the only option for teens and often promoted specific religious values. As a result, the American Civil Liberties Union filed suit in 1983 charging that AFLA violated the separation of church and state as defined in the U.S. Constitution. In 1985, a U.S. district judge found AFLA unconstitutional. On appeal in 1988, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed that decision and remanded the case to a lower court.<2>

Finally, an out-of-court settlement in 1993 stipulated that AFLA-funded sexuality education programs must: (1) not include religious references, (2) be medically accurate, (3) respect the “principle of self-determination” regarding contraceptive referral for teenagers, and (4) not allow grantees to use church sanctuaries for their programs or to give presentations in parochial schools during school hours.<3> Within these limitations, AFLA continues to fund abstinence-only programs today.

Abstinence-only-until-marriage education as defined in AFLA has been taught for over two decades and yet there is still no peer-reviewed research that proves it is effective in changing adolescents’ behavior. To the contrary, a meta-evaluation of AFLA program evaluations found them “barely adequate” to “completely inadequate.”<4>
>snip<
http://www.nonewmoney.org/main3.htm

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There's more, much more out there, but this little glimpse into the chuckling porker of the year was enough for me.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

7. Here comes the payoff for the Medicare vote and others.