jobs in hawaii

Indefensible

Say what you will about Arizona Sen. John McCain -- and we've said on occasion that he takes his reputation as a maverick Republican to unfortunate extremes -- but he's been admirably consistent as Congress' most vocal anti-pork barrel crusader. No member of Congress has been as dogged in exposing the feeding frenzy at the federal trough, and in using his congressional staff, Web site and floor speeches to blow the whistle when colleagues shortcut the appropriations process in self-serving ways.

McCain did it again last week, dissecting with surgical precision a $453.5 billion fiscal 2006 Defense Appropriations Bill that was loaded with hundreds of millions of dollars in congressional earmarks and add-ons -- all of which divert precious resources from higher priorities.

Here are just a few of the earmarks he highlighted:

$500,000 to teach science to grade-school students in Pennsylvania;

$3.85 million for the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Foundation;

$1 million for a Civil War Center in Richmond, Va.;

$2 million for a public park in San Francisco;

$500,000 for the Arctic Winter Games, an international athletic competition held in Alaska;

$8.5 million for various museums, including $1.5 million to restore the battleship Texas;

$1.6 million for Lewis and Clark bicentennial activities.

This is "just a small sampling of the many, many unrequested earmarks" in the bill, said McCain. "Mr. President, we are at war. How many MREs, flak-vests, or bullets could we buy with all this money? How many dollars could we return to the taxpayers?"

While not all the earmarks necessarily constitute a misuse of federal funds, McCain correctly questions their inclusion in a defense spending bill -- especially when the nation is at war. Taken in that context, McCain is justified in calling these addons "obscene."

"War means sacrifice -- any student of history knows that -- and Americans have sacrificed throughout our efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan," McCain pointed out. "Our soldiers and their families have sacrificed, and this year other costs have spread throughout the nation. Whether it is the victims of Hurricane Katrina, or those that have come to their aid, or simply all those Americans who are paying higher gasoline prices, we see sacrifices of many kinds. And so in these difficult times, the American people are right to expect their elected leaders to sacrifice as well.

"But then we see a bill like the one on the floor today, and I'm sure many Americans wonder if the spirit of sacrifice stops on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. During a war, in a measure designed to give our fighting men and women the funds they need, the Congress has given in to its worst pork-barrel instincts."

While McCain attached to the spending bill an amendment curtailing the federal government's use of "torture" on terror war detainees, he decried members using the bill to "legislate" with riders that have little relevance to defense matters. A provision was included, for instance, dealing with avian flu vaccine liability protection. $1.5 billion was inserted for low income home heating assistance. Funding for farm conservation programs also became part of the bill. And a measure was included that protects jobs in Hawaii and Alaska. McCain argued that some of these items might be important, but that they should be debated individually, not lumped into a must-pass spending bill.

McCain noted that President Dwight Eisenhower, in a farewell address famous for evoking the "military-industrial complex," also warned against excessive federal spending. "As we peer into society's future," Eisenhower said, "we... must avoid the impulse to live only for today, plundering, for our own ease and convenience, the precious resources of tomorrow. We cannot mortgage the material assets of our grandchildren without risking the loss also of their political and spiritual heritage. We want democracy to survive for all generations to come, not to become the insolvent phantom of tomorrow."

"I wonder what President Eisenhower would think of this mess," McCain asked -- pointing out that also included in the bill was $1.7 million earmarked for an Eisenhower Memorial on the Washington Mall.

Owens aims high

When first we heard that Gov. Bill Owens was proposing a bill that would open to climbers some of the state's highest mountain peaks, some of which are off limits because the path to the summit crosses private land, we were concerned. But rather than try to water down property rights, Owens takes a much better tack by attempting to deal with the real issue bothering these land owners - - the fear of getting sued.

Property owners aren't barring or restricting access out of selfishness or spite, but out of an understandable fear that the land sharks will be circling if someone gets hurt on their property. Owens' plan aims to give these people "some immunity (from liability claims) if they allow people access to climb these mountains," he said when presenting his plan. And we think that's the right approach.

It's similar in concept to the limited liability protection granted Colorado's ski resorts, without which the industry probably couldn't survive given the litigious nature of this society. Granting the owners of these mountain parcels similar protections would probably help ease their minds, and clear the path for those who want to bag all 54 "fourteeners."

We hope the Legislature will make taking up Owens' plan a priority next session.

Copyright 2005
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