One of our favorite congressmen, Emanuel Cleaver of Kansas City, had a brilliant idea a couple of years ago (at least in his own mind) on how to address the racial “disparity” in the earmarks process. Mr. Cleaver’s suggestion? Implement a quota system on the House Appropriations Committee that would require two additional African American members. Can you see where this would have headed? Next, the Hispanics would cry racism, followed by every other “oppressed” group in this country. Racial politics at its finest.
Well according to this AP story, Mr. Cleaver’s radical suggestion won’t be necessary. Cleaver announced recently he had secured “$200 million in stimulus money to make “Kansas City’s poorest neighborhoods a model for green living.”
Here are a few of the projects that are supposed to stimulate jobs in his district:
1.) Weatherizing every home that needs it in a 150-block area and training the jobless how to do that work. (*Look for more illegal immigrants doing construction work in the ‘hood)
2.) Improve bus service and build 25 green-friendly bus stops complete with real-time passenger information
3.) Create a sustainable land-use plan for the area.
4.) Develop a smart-grid energy project.
5.) Replace a key bridge in the neighborhood.
We have to question if citizens living in dangerous neighborhoods, who send their children to dangerous and poorly run schools, really care about “green friendly bus stops” and “smart grid energy projects.”
Related:
Cleaver Secure$ Earmark$ for Client$ of Raided Lobby Shop
K.C Call: Rep. Cleaver Co-Sponsors Credit Cardholders’ Bill Of Right
Mother Jones: Revolving Door, Bailout Edition:
“At least one former lawmaker has also gotten in on the action. Goldman Sachs, which has more than 30 ex-government officials registered to lobby on its behalf, tapped one-time House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.) to lobby his former colleagues in Congress on issues related to the Treasury Department’s Troubled Assets Relief Program. Goldman, which paid Gephardt’s firm $70,000 in the last quarter of 2008, received $10 billion in TARP funds. (As a counterparty to AIG’s disastrous credit default swaps, Goldman pocketed an additional $12.9 billion in bailout money given to the insurance firm.)”
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1 Durwin Rice // Apr 10, 2009 at 12:00 pm
It’s already been dramatically demonstrated that simply spending money (and lots of it) on Kansas City’s school district is not a recipe for success. You can read the sad history of KC’s very expensive school experiment and its very expensive failure here http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-298.html
And yet, Kansas City political leaders seem to continue to believe that money is the answer to fixing the problems of the 3rd and 5th districts.
Just look at the shiny and new and virtually vacant 18th and Vine district. And believe (if you are so inclined) that a $800,000 neon sign is going to turn that around.
Or gaze across the 287 acre Brush Creek Greenway park & channel improvements built seemingly for the pleasure of hundreds of Canadian geese. When’s the last time you saw someone walking that trail?
And then believe that the Troost Bridge is going to unite us all.
Money is not the answer.
The Reverend should know this.
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