Couple things on the "pork". 30 billion of pork does not mean the other 870 is "bad". But, let's address the 30 bad listed.
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$11,500,000,000.00 for making federal buildings "green" (including $448 million for the Department of Homeland Security's headquarters)
If this puts people to work and reduces energy consumption, is that bad? I am not sure what the upgrades are, but let's say it's this: putting in tankless water heaters, using all energy efficient bulbs, installing high efficiency heating/cooling. Most of those upgrades have a payback period of 4-6 years. I don't see the problem here. It's the classic ENVIRONMENTALISM IS BAD defense. Forget the environment, I want to save money.
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$198,000,000.00 to design and furnish the DHS headquarters
Guess I'm confused because the DHS is listed above at the tune of 448 mil.
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$200,000,000.00 for workplace safety in Department of Agriculture facilities
$75,000,000.00 for the Smithsonian Institution
Not sure.
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$300,000,000.00 more for hybrid and electric cars for federal employees
Would need more info. But, if these employees already have cars and they're being maintained/upgraded, I'm not sure this is a problem. If there is a payback over time in fuel, I'm not sure this is a problem. Although, the economic efficiencies of hybrids is debatable.
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$180,000,000.00 for construction of Bureau of Land Management facilities
Depends on what happens with the old building, or is this a new department.
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$500,000,000.00 for wildland fire management
Would need to understand more, but wouldn't we want to minimize the massive wildfires we have experienced over the last few years. True, some fires are natural, but not many.
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$110,000,000.00 for construction for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Is it 100 million to sing songs about fish or to clean massively polluted lakes and ponds? Just because it is related to nature doesn't mean it's bad.
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$522,000,000.00 for construction for the Bureau of Indian Affairs$412,000,000.00 for Centers for Disease Control headquarters
$500,000,000.00 earmark for National Institutes of Health facilities in Bethesda, Maryland
$100,000,000.00 for constructing U.S. Marshalls office buildings
$300,000,000.00 for constructing Federal Bureau of Investigation office buildings
Again, it all depends on what is happening with the current buildings and how these contracts are built.
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$800,000,000.00 for constructing Federal Prison System buildings and facilities
HOLY SHIT - REPUBLICANS AGAINST PRISONS?!?!?!?!
It is truly the end of the world.
Where are we going to lock up marijuana users and prostitutes?
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$307,000,000.00 for constructing National Institute for Standards and Technology office buildings
$1,000,000,000.00 for administrative costs and construction of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration office buildings
Again - where are these now? Is this needed?
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$600,000,000.00 to buy hybrid vehicles for federal employees
Wasn't this listed above?
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$125,000,000.00 for the Washington, D.C. sewer system
I will avoid the obvious joke.
Our nation's infrastructure is in bad shape.
Sure, it is more fun to bomb and rebuild Iraq, but I would rather spend it on poop tunnels and roads in America.
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$75,000,000.00 for salaries of employees at the FBI
Again, stunned. Reppublicans AGAINST law enforcement. I would need to understand where these salaries are going. Are we paying mid and low level people more, or are we giving a raises to the top tiers?
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$88,000,000.00 for renovating the headquarters of the Public Health Service
Again, depends why.
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$5,500,000.00 for “energy efficiency initiatives” at the Veterans Administration's “National Cemetery Administration”
$60,000,000.00 for Arlington National Cemetery
Why do Republicans hate veterans? Seriously though, this is a screwed up religious issue. Creamate, creamate, creamate. Also, it depends on how badly our buildings are in disrepair.
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$75,000,000.00 to construct a new “security training” facility for State Department Security
I wish Republicans took national security more seriously.
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$110,000,000.00 to the Farm Service Agency to upgrade computer systems
THis creates jobs, trains people. If it adds efficiency, that's a good thing, right?
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$200,000,000.00 in funding for the lease of alternative energy vehicles for use on military installations
What happens to the existing vehicles or is this all new? If this saves money, that's a good thing, right?
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$2,000,000,000.00 for a FutureGen near-zero emissions powerplant in Mattoon, Illinois
More power = good, right? What is the state of the current power plant?
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$2,000,000,000.00 for manufacturing advanced batteries for hybrid cars
Paid to whom? Isn't creating more efficient cars good?
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$650,000,000.00 for the digital TV (DTV) transition coupon program
I would rather see a voucher for a new TV.
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$1,200,000,000.00 for summer jobs for youth
Jobs doing what? Are these internships that lead to careers?
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$200,000,000.00 for public computer centers at community colleges and libraries
I know a lot of people who can only use the internet at a library. I want to live in a country with strong community centers. If you haven't been to a good public library lately, you owe it to yourself.
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$750,000,000.00 earmark for the National Computer Center
Again, anothier construction issue - see above. Also, I thought there were no "earmarks".
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$10,000,000.00 to fight Mexican gun-runners
I had no idea the Republicans were so pro-Mexican. My how roles reverse.
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$850,000,000.00 for Amtrak
For Amtrak to do what? For Amtrak to build more rails to more cities to lessen our need to fly? Um, that's a good thing, right?
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$100,000,000.00 for lead paint hazard reduction
Lead paint reduction where? In school rooms where children are growing retarded? Not sure I object.
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$275,000,000.00 for flood prevention
God, I love floods. We definitely need to drop this one.
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$65,000,000.00 for watershed rehabilitation
I don't know what this means. I'm guessing the people complaining don't either.
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$650,000,000.00 for abandoned mine sites
Will they be building party decks in the mines or safely shutting down the mines? Seems we would want to secure these?
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$1,300,000,000.00 for NASA
Republicans hate NASA now too? How else are we going to nuke the Chinese from space?
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$100,000,000.00 to clean up sites used in early U.S. atomic energy program
So we nuked a bunch of sites and we don't want to clean it up. Hmmm.
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$10,000,000.00 for urban canals
Why are canals bad? They provide access for water commerce and other activities.
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$1,500,000,000.00 for carbon capture projects under sec. 703 of P.L. 110-140
I have no idea what this means.
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$500,000,000.00 for state and local fire stations
Again - construction. Aren't Republicans a little sad to see how shitty our infrastructure is?
With all the screaming about pork, I expected to see things like this:
$1,500,000,000 for creation of NAtional Museum of Woodborn Insects
$400,000,000 for building protective gate around the habitats of Coochdigging Donkey Mice
$800,000,000 for a grant to fund the Peformance Arts Council of San Francisco.
I am not sure if this list is the original "Republican Waste List", but if it is, I think it is painful weaksauce.