Yesterday the Salt Lake Tribune ran an article (here) on President Obama's proposed federal budget and the cutbacks proposed for the Central Utah Project. After recently re-reading Marc Reisner's Cadillac Desert I'm feeling more savvy to the extent of the pork and boondoggle that goes into public water projects. (You can see my review of Cadillac Desert and an excerpt here.) Public water projects usually amount to the federal government providing water to local agricultural interests for pennies on the taxpayers' dollar. Federal spending needs to be cut, and the bloated water programs are a good place to start. So what are our local angry Tea Party politicians doing about it? Making sure the pork flows. Senator Hatch said he helped to keep the cuts for CUP to only $9 million instead of a full $40 million. And the Sagebrush Rebellion brothers, Mike Noel and Ralph Okerlund, even sponsored a resolution demanding the federal largess be fully restored, their argument being it didn't cost local taxpayers and farmers anything -- see it here.
What is it about blatant hypocrisy that stinks the joint up so much?
I feel completely helpless in this state. I call and/or email Hatch's office on a regular basis. Then I get a form letter back that tells me how important my opinions are and why he is voting againt them. I called his office a couple of days over the wolf slaughter bill and the guy that answered the phone said he "couldn't speak for Senator Hatch." WTH? We need an Egypt moment.
ReplyDeleteI like that, the poltician's spokesman that won't speak for the politician. Does make one feel sort of cross-eyed.
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