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Health Care Bill Fact of the Day: Billions in Pork Barrel Spending for ‘Community Transformation’ and ‘Beautification’

By: Jeff Emanuel (Diary)  |  August 12th, 2009 at 07:00 AM  | 

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Under the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee’s “Affordable Health Choices Act,” local governments can apply for “community transformation” grants to build jungle gyms, sidewalks, bicycle paths, and grocery stores, to install streetlights, and to establish new farmers’ markets.

The dollar amount of these grants, and of the total “community transformation” earmark program, is left to the discretion of the Obama administration.

Cities can also apply for “community makeover” grants, which can provide them with up to $10 per resident in taxpayer dollars for “beautifying streets.”

Sen. Tom Coburn, MD (R-OK) sponsored an amendment to the HELP Committee bill that would have prevented any funds it made available from being used “to build, develop, or maintain sidewalks, parks, bike paths, or street lights.” The amendment was defeated by party-line vote.

The “Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009,” the House of Representatives’ health overhaul legislation, also contains an earmark for these grants. The House bill sets the amount available for their funding at $1.6 billion.

Sources: “Affordable Health Choices Act,” Title III, Subtitle C
HR 3200, § 3151

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  • ellisclarke

    The calibrated version of what is ? UN-AMERICAN ?.

    Democrats and Republican politicians who put party politics and policies above those of the people.

    Republicans and Democrats who voted to saddle the next three generations of our children with debt, mortgaged and held by foreign countries.

    The unelected voice of the news medias that report biased and slanted articles in support of only the political policies of ONE political party and fail to report all the facts.

    Senators and Congress members that do not speak up against a President and Administration for breaking the privacy act. No citizen, including the President, is above the laws which he was sworn to uphold.

    An Attorney General that dismisses criminal charges against thugs that were restricting voters during an election at polling stations, for political reasons, contrary to existing laws he was sworn to uphold.

    Republicans and Democrats who do not pay their share of taxes yet continue to spend the people?s money as if it were their own with no accountability to anyone but themselves.

    Unelected and unaccountable czars that direct and influence policies from closed door meetings and dealings with lobbyists and friends.

    Party politics that have divided the country and pit brother against sister not for the best interest of the people but solely for the self serving interest of a political party.

    The American people have had it with these daily and calibrated UN-American activities that go on in Washington and across the States.