[noodles]

Senate passes water projects bill despite veto threat - CNN.com

-- The Senate, ignoring a veto threat from the White House, has authorized $23 billion in water projects, including work to restore the hurricane-ravaged Louisiana coast and Florida's Everglades.

The measure, which the House of Representatives passed earlier this year, was approved 81-12 Monday. It now goes to President Bush, who threatened a veto after the bill's anticipated cost ballooned by $9 billion as projects were added in negotiations between the House and Senate.

Honestly, does this man not know what the word "hypocrisy" means? Things come up, and we have to spend money to fix them. Massive, destructive hurricanes are not something we plan for, and after they completely devastate and area, we have to spend money fixing things.

I find it ludicrous that Bush doesn't want to take care of people at home, but has no problems pouring billions of dollars down the hole known as Iraq. The man needs to die of a massive stroke.

[oompa]

Originally Posted by noodles

I find it ludicrous that Bush doesn't want to take care of people at home, but has no problems pouring billions of dollars down the hole known as Iraq. The man needs to die of a massive stroke.

that has always been my biggest ? about that guy.

but on topic: BBQ sauce.

[Drew]

It's a PR move more than anything, I suspect - my feelings is he's probably trying to improve his cred with fiscal conservatives by standing up to "tax-and-spend" Democrats on a large public spending project. It's way too little way too late, of course, but that's the only possible way it could fmake sense.

[technomancer]

Actually from reading the article the bill looks like pointless grandstanding by Congress that will accomplish nothing...

...the Army Corps already has a backlog of $58 billion worth of projects and an annual budget of only about $2 billion to address them.

While the bill authorizes projects, it does not fund them.

The bill is effectively authorizing projects that can not be completed, which accomplishes nothing but letting Congress wave at the press and go "Look, look we're actually doing something".

I hate Bush as much as you do, but the bill he's going to veto is pointless. It also sounds like there are probably several good projects along with a ton or pork in this thing

[ohio_eric]

Are you saying that you believe that Bush thinks?

[noodles]

This is pretty much SOP with these types of public works projects. The spending for them is authorized by separate appropriations bills that fund the federal government. In essence, Congress is passing a bill that adds lines to the federal budget, and they later have to approve that budget. Nothing new here, and it is how the Republicans were able to gut the funding for Clinton's job training program, and then use it as an excuse to say that welfare doesn't work, and Democrats are wrong.

The Senators opposed to this are trying to make political hay over something small, since they are not willing to take a stand on the big issue of the Iraq War. As Drew said, too little too late.