We started dong these updates several years ago, usually taking one or two days every month to get all of their insanity covered. Unfortunately, over time, the insanity has seemed to accelerate almost exponentially, causing us to now have to take six or seven posts each month to get it all in. This month will be no different. As our foreign policy implodes, the economy stagnates, and the midtem elections approach, the insanity levels are intensifying daily.
To check out past instances of political class insanity in this post, simply go to the first week of each month and check out the posts that begin, “Political class Insanity.” this is the third entry in this series for this month, with the first two posts appearing over the past two days. For the latest insanity, read on:
1) Recently we discussed the reality that this Congress is on track to enact the fewest piece of legislation than any other Congress over the past 60 years. With all of the major issues facing the country today (e.g. failing public schools, a lost war on drugs, terrorism, leaky borders, etc.), this Congress has done nothing to alleviate those crisis and improve the lives of Americans.
And how much do they get paid for basically doing nothing except taking extended vacations? The Heritage Foundation recently published some interesting and depressing numbers in this area, courtesy of writer Romina Boccia:
- At a base salary of $174,000, members of Congress make more than 95: percent of American income earners.
- They earn more than three times what the median U.S. household earns.
- Once their generous benefits are added on top of their high salaries, total Congressional compensation comes out to $286,000 per year.
- To add insult to injury, one member of Congress argued recently even this generous compensation level wasn’t enough and that members of Congress also should get a housing stipend.
Amazing, for the past eighteen years, Congress has failed to execute its primary mission in life, pass a comprehensive, timely and effective budget, regardless of which party controlled what parts of Congress. When you have a flawed budgeting process in life you usually end spending more than if you had budgeted in a timely manner and with attention to detail.
This may explain why our national debt has ballooned to an amazing $18 TRILLION since 1997, we have had no budget process in operation to contain out of control spending. It certainly explains the reality that at $286,000 a year, the 535 members of congress are grossly overpaid relative to performance.
2) Since the Obama administration has come into office:
- The number of Americans receiving food stamps has increased by about 50% despite the fact that we are many years away from the end of the last recession, a sad commentary on the economic ignorance of Washington politicians.
- Currently about 46.5 million Americans get government food assistance every month.
- 46.5 million people is almost equal to the entire population of Spain.
- It is equivalent to 71% of the French population and 76% of the Italian population.
- 46.5 million people would fill Yankee Stadium about 925 times, according to data from the Department of Agriculture (USDA).
In either case, this is either a major break down of government efficiency or just another example that shows Washington politicians have no idea how to implement economic policies that encourage economic growth and less dependence on government assistance.
3) California is in really bad financial shape. They are facing billions and billions of dollars in future debt obligations, they have had trouble balancing their state budgets over at least the past decade, their school systems need more financial support, etc. So what are their politicians considering doing in the Los Angeles area?
According to an article from the Heritage Foundation written by Kelsey Harris, citing the Wall Street Journal, state politicians and special interest groups are potentially going to allocate upwards of $10 million to build a dedicated freeway overpass that would allow wild cougars to travel and mate more safely. Yes, $10 million to help cougars find mates.
How many more teachers could be hired in the L.A. area for $10 million? How more homeless could be fed and sheltered for $10 million? How much more debt on future taxpayers could be avoided for $10 million? Horrible set of priorities if a cougar driven freeway overpass is even being discussed as a use for taxpayer money.
4) The Independent Journal Review and writer Jim Bogash reported some distressing and disgusting news relative to the Boston Marathon bombing victims. Apparently, according to Federal law, these victims do not have to be paid any insurance money because the parameters of what defines a terrorist attack under Federal law were not met.
You might ask how can this be since even the President said: “Any time bombs are used to target innocent civilians it is an act of terror.” Sounds pretty straightforward, “an act of terror.” But wait, he did not say “terrorism,” and that is the glitch.
It seems that the Treasury Department has not deemed the bombings as an act of terrorism, as per the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act. The Terrorism Risk Insurance Act was passed after the 9/11 attacks. It is a federally-administered and underwritten insurance program for terrorism-caused damage, designed to compensate policy owners in the event of a man-caused disaster.
Twenty-two Boston-based companies carried that insurance and for insurance pay-out purposes, the attacks have not been classified as acts of terror. The law’s says that insurance losses must exceed $5 million to be certified as terrorism, and so far only $1.9 million in claims have been issued relative to the Boston bombings. The reality that terrorists blew up bombs, killed people, maimed people, and caused damage is not enough to make the bombings an “act of terrorism.” The dollar threshold was not met.
Thus, according to Washington, and to the relief of the insurance companies, blowing up Americans in a major American city, resulting in deaths and maiming, is not terrorism. Unbelievable.
5) One last piece of insanity for today. Keep in mind that millions of Americans are hungry and homeless, untold numbers of veterans are not getting enough medical care, the Federal deficit is about $18 TRILLION, and annual Federal government deficit spending is still about half a trillion dollars a year.
Which is why spending half a million dollars on artwork for the San Diego’ San Ysidro Land Port of Entry is a tragic waste of money.
The Weekly Standard recently ran an article that described how the U.S. General Services Administration has paying $500,000 in estimated art commissions for Phase 3 of a $735 million project to renovate and expand the busiest land port in the western hemisphere. The taxpayer funding for the art commission comes from the GSA’s “Art in Architecture” program. The program reserves “one-half of one percent of the estimated construction costs for each new federal building” for pieces of art.
Thus, this is not an isolated waste of half a million dollars. There is an actual formula to use to divert taxpayer dollars into decorations for new construction. On the GSA’s website, there is a justification for the program, saying the program intends to facilitate “meaningful cultural dialogue between the American people and their government,” by installing permanent works of art in Federal buildings throughout the country.
How about we bypass the “meaningful cultural dialog” and feed our hungry, shelter our homeless, treat our addicted, or just stop wasting taxpayer money on useless pieces of art until we have taken care of the myriad of other problems in this country?
That’s it for today: wasteful spending on useless art, bureaucratic nonsense on the definition of terrorism, helping cougars get sex, tens of millions of Americans on food stamps, and a least productive Congress and Washington political class. Tell me that is not all insanity.
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