While the House of Representatives have been locked in a wrestling match with the White House for weeks over the budget, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R., KY) has been quietly forging a deal that would re-open the federal government – largely on the terms of the Democratic members. This morning, however, various sites are reporting on an added item to the deal: a $3 billion earmark for Kentucky. They are calling it the ‘Kentucky Kickback” and objecting to how these deals reflect the resumption of “business as usual” in terms of spending.
The money is for the massive Olmsted Dam Lock in Paducah, Ky., which is massively over-budget. The earmark would increase the appropriations for the dam from $775 million to nearly $2.9 billion.
It is worth noting that (while the over-runs should be investigated for breathtakingly poor management and dubious contracting practices by the Corps of Engineers) the dam itself is viewed as important to commerce along the Ohio river. There are also obviously good reasons to end the shutdown regardless any greasing of the skids by the White House with McConnell. However, the timing is being criticized as another example of how national emergencies are used by members to raid the treasury.
As cover, McConnell is sending reporters to Democratic members like Dianne Feinstein and saying it was their idea. In the end, it is not just the timing but the failure of the Congress to engage in meaningful oversight on the costs of such projects that is so disturbing. Once again, it would seem that the Corps either radically underestimated a project (showing utter incompetence) or failed to control the charges and over-runs of contractors (showing utter incompetence). Yet, everyone was saved by the shutdown. The money will follow to Kentucky like the endless roaring Ohio.
He lives vicariously through himself.
lottakatz:
that is the problem, everyone is picking everyone elses pockets using their representative to do so. Forgetting their money is being taken as well.
The pig is apt animal, he is taken care of by the farmer until he is sold to the butcher.
The defaming my dead sister of which I speak was way before the dozen’s game. I was having a pleasant conversation w/ SWM, the mosquito was not even in the conversation. We were talking about food and how my sister loved it, not playing dozens. Your loser buddy, carrying a grudge, came in and commented after I spoke of my dead sister that Hitler also loved his dog. Get your facts straight wheel man, that was a watershed moment for some. It opened some eyes. This place is WAY too important for you and the dancin’ mosquito. Go out and do something positive. And, on the souls of my dead parents, the story about my secretary and her son is true. I got her to join our bowling team and bring her son along. Cutest kid you’ve ever seen. She was concerned about him disrupting and couldn’t find sitters that could handle him I’m swearing on my famiglia’s souls it’s true. If you know Italians you know what that means. Now, take care of that heart someone so generously gave you. This shit isn’t good for it. Carry on.
I’ve lived a fascinating life by most people’s standards, and compared to yours and the mosquito, apparently unbelievably fascinating. I don’t use a lot of life stories of mine, that’s what makes my wife chuckle when she reads your sad shit. There’s a standing 1k offer for you to challenge ANY anecdote I’ve related here. Until you put up, shut up. That Chessman story is going to get a lot of mileage, so get used to it, bro. Was Bobby Fischer in your gang?
“That Chessman story is going to get a lot of mileage, so get used to it, bro. Was Bobby Fischer in your gang?”
So as I was pointing out Nick every comment you make is all about you and your purported “fascinating life” and you certainly don’t see that it gets tedious for others. Stalk away Nick, you represent a living lesson in disturbed behavior, that when it isn’t annoying, is faintly amusing and certainly a cautionary tale.
“I’ve lived a fascinating life by most people’s standards”
No doubt your life is fascinating, but probably not in the way your ego imagines it. 🙂 Have a nice day Nick.
When it is raining, it is because he is thinking of something sad.
Juliet, the guy who mocked me and my dead sister just commented. He is a stalker w/o anything positive to do. He’s not someone to look up to.
Good for him that’s his job!
Once while sailing around the world, he discovered a short cut.
Juliet, I’m fed up seeing good people out of here by elitists. I NEVER pick fights for the sake of picking one. I pick them on issues that are important to me. The couple weeks ago time frame of which you speak may relate to the adjunct professor marathon. I don’t like unions because they exploit the people they are supposed to help. What continues to amaze me are people, allegedly critical thinkers, who allow horseshit like exploiting the plight of a woman’s death to increase union membership. On a more recent thread, I saw folks who are on SNAP being bullied and condescended @ by intellectually dishonest alleged intellectuals, so I stood up for them. I’ve gotten to know one of them offline and it’s a SIN he was made to feel unworthy by alleged progressives. On that thread I was accused of investigating someone which was a freakin’ lie, and threatened by a former Chessman that “he knows people” maybe Eyetalian Genovese’s.
This thread is a pet peeve of mine that you should know by now. Throwing out the race card where there is little or no evidence diminishes real racism which is a scourge in our society. I have good, black friends. I doubt the race hucksters here do. And then the Chessman wheel man accuses me of lying and brings in my freakin’ wife!! What were your thoughts on that. I’ve had my dead sister mocked here by one of the people you defend. That was before you arrived. That opened up the eyes of a couple progressive women w/ whom I had butted heads w/ prior to that. Not anymore, they saw the truth. When I bring up shit like this I’m called a victim. Well, to I strike you as one who poor mouths myself and whines about being a victim? I point out horseshit like this and I give it back.
Believe it or not, for every horseshit I point out by this elitist group, I just say screw it, to many more. Unions are exploiting people they are supposed to protect. I GREW UP IN union house. The poor and hungry are important to me, I have spent my life helping those disadvantaged. But, I also know there are dependent people who scam. Folks who live in that world were here talking about that and were run out of here. They know these scammers hurt them just like black folk, not the racial hucksters like Sharpton, know this calling racism @ that drop of the hat hurts them. Our president knows that!
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I respect you. I think you’re much better than the people you are trying to defend. Hell Julit, just look @ the comment following yours. This person calls me a racist, because I merely point out someone abusing that very serious charge. Look @ my comments, I don’t write long ones but infrequently. I welcomed you here. You’ve seen me welcome others here. I look upon this as the more the better. The more diversity the better. There are folks here who want a club. This is all they got. Instead of going out in the world and tutoring kids, feeding the hungry, as I do, they think they can change the world here. This is not where you change the world. This is where you discuss the world. The world is changed for the better by people of action. I’ve done it my entire life and I have merely scratched the surface as to how. I don’t suffer fools or foolishness. That’s how I was brought up.
I had a secretary when I was an investigator in KC. She was a single, black mom who had an autistic son. This was the 70’s and we knew virtually nothing about autism. I cried seeing her struggle and I did whatever I could to help her. But, there was little I could do. So you see, I have a history going back to maybe before you were born having love and empathy for moms like you. I never spoke of it. There’s much pain I’ve seen that causes me to act to help…TO ACT. There should be some comments coming calling me a liar in the way those folks here do. They’ll accuse me of victimhood, as they always do. Think for yourself, Juliet. Other people were in the same dynamic as you and came to see the truth. It shall make you free. You know that.
“You do have a talent for fiction though Nick, or does your wife write your stuff.”
“And then the Chessman wheel man accuses me of lying and brings in my freakin’ wife!!”
Actually Nick,
You brought your wife to this thread months ago when you were hawking her novel, which some people actually bought. The was nothing in my comment that denigrated her. Actually, she must be a saint living with you. Now did I accuse you of lying or not. All I have noticed about you Nick is that you literally have an anecdote about everyone and everyplace. They all seem to coincide with your need to make a point. For you who is so suspicious of politicians your tendency is to do exactly the same thing as a politician on campaign saying ” I met a woman from someplace, who had a hard life and she told me………….” fill in the blanks with the particular point the politician is trying to make. Yes, this does set off my bullshit detector. Especially so when you never bother to actually present any proof of your opinions other than anecdotes. On the rare occasions you do provide proof it usaully is not what you claim it to be.
As far as the claim that:
“threatened by a former Chessman that “he knows people” maybe Eyetalian Genovese’s.”
Now what was that in response to Mr. Private Investigator but a comment by you detailing that my house was on a golf course, a fact which I’ve never referred to here. As far as the threat aspect Nick, especially relating to the Cosa Nostra, you are merely conflating nonsense to again seem the passive victim. This is also part of the games you play here like the nonsense about defaming your dead sister. What really happened is that you proclaimed yourself an “expert” at “dozens”, the Black game where the object is to defame another person’s family in turn, by making up ever more outrageous claims about interactions with them. You challenged anyone to beat you at it because of your expertise. Gene did and then you claimed it was defaming your dead sister, proven that you not only don’t understand the game, but that you will lie to try to play “gotcha!”. As far as stalking you, I think you’ve got it turned around it is you following me and some of the other guest bloggers with short invective laden comments that are non sequiturs used to try to elicit some attention.
Finally, an example of the type of crap you try to sell:
“I had a secretary when I was an investigator in KC. She was a single, black mom who had an autistic son. This was the 70′s and we knew virtually nothing about autism. I cried seeing her struggle and I did whatever I could to help her. But, there was little I could do. So you see, I have a history going back to maybe before you were born having love and empathy for moms like you. I never spoke of it. There’s much pain I’ve seen that causes me to act to help…TO ACT. There should be some comments coming calling me a liar in the way those folks here do.”
How convenient Nick, just the perfect anecdote to warm the cockles of Juliet’s heart and as with most probable lies, a disclaimer at the end to try to preclude being called on it. Now I know you hate me Nick, but the fact is I don’t hate you. I don’t waste my time hating people who are obviously disturbed in some manner. What I don’t like though is the fact that you can only back up your opinions with suspicious anecdotes, you snipe viciously at anyone who disagree with you and that in the end you’re too obtuse to even understand that you condescend to people in your expression of kinship.
And Stevens had a bridge built to no where….. Where’s the beef….
Actually Juliet, many long time participants around here would say that Nick’s merely returned to form. There was a period after you arrived when he seemed more civil. He had go arounds with Gene concerning several issues, but he modified his tone, particularly in his conversations with you. I had a chuckle imagining him sucking in his gut and sitting up straight with every word he was typing in your direction. Which was great, don’t get me wrong. It was much better than the angry, hostile, thin-skinned, and thinly veiled racism he was interjecting here.
Too much of this blog is being taken up with Nick and his comments. It was interesting for a while, but it’s starting to old. And predictable. Too often, threads are devolving into Nick’s childish bickering, and I suspect that if you factored out all the posts that dealt with Nick cantankerous incivility, this blog would be quite a ways south of 18 million posts.
I visit this blog because of my interest in the law, politics, and society. Jeff Beck once said that if you want to be a better musician, play with musicians better than yourself. Having never studied law, philosophy, and many of the related disciplines that are so often on display here, I have enormous respect for many of the posters. I read the ideas of expressed by this community with interest, to see how they fit with my beliefs, and to help me shape my attitudes. I am grateful whenever anyone gives me feedback on an idea I express, especially if I am forced to defend and explain it. It’s good exercise. But I can find angry old cranks everywhere, I don’t need to encounter them here. It’s taking up too much time.
Nick, I don’t speak for anyone but myself and I certainly don’t make any decisions around here, but it’s clear people are trying to tell you something. It’s called feedback, you might want to heed it.
Nick: I apologize. I was tired and my temper got the better of me.
I simply don’t understand why you’ve become so hostile and aggressive, of late. During the time I’ve been participating in these discussions, you and I are often on opposite sides of an issue, but you have typically been polite and good-natured to everyone. Whatever rancor you expressed was tempered with humor. That changed a couple of weeks ago, and I remain stunned by it.
Lighten up, man. You’re just not fun anymore.