Posted on 02/06/2007 5:25:41 AM PST by RedRover
President Bush again has proposed closing Johnstown’s National Drug Intelligence Center, continuing a tug-of-war that for three years has jeopardized hundreds of local jobs.
Bush’s budget for fiscal 2008 allocates $16 million to eliminate the center.
U.S. Rep. John Murtha, D-Johnstown, has for the past two years secured enough money to keep the facility open.
Murtha, who could not be reached for comment Monday, presumably will take up the flag for NDIC again this year.
The center coordinates the nation’s fight against illegal drugs and employs about 300 people at the former Penn Traffic building along Washington Street.
But a long-standing debate has been aired about NDIC’s usefulness.
Advocates argue that the center provides critical drug analysis and plays a role in anti-terrorism activities.
But the Bush administration thinks differently. The president’s budget proposal last year said officials should shutter NDIC and “concentrate resources on intelligence providers with a better defined and more useful role.”
Murtha has thwarted Bush’s plans and secured $39 million for NDIC in each of the past two budget cycles.
This year, Murtha is in an even better position to save the intelligence center, because he now chairs a House subcommittee that controls. Department of Defense funding. While NDIC answers to the U.S. Justice Department, it is funded through the DOD. In February of 2000, then-President Clinton designated NDIC the nation’s principal center for strategic domestic counter-drug intelligence.
And this isn't even the worst example of Murtha's abuse of taxppayer dollars.
"Dirty" John's defense industry earmarks do even more damage to our country than this boondoggle. Murtha's defense earmarks go to programs the Pentagon doesn't need or want. And Murtha's support of his largest campaign contributors come at the expense of legitimate Pentagon requests.
Take those 300 paper-pushers from their cushy jobs in Benedict Murtha's district and send them to the Mexican border. That's where the drugs are and it's a long way from PA.
To those unpinged...
Let jazusamo or me know if you want on the Murtha Watch Ping List.
You gotta believe the House will write this back in. A line item veto would definitely be useful.
All earmarks do that, regardless of the party of the member pushing for them. But since the Democrats are in charge and they've painted themselves as the anti-earmark party it will be interesting to see how this plays out. I'm betting that funding for the lab is in the budget. Any takers?
I'm from PA, the coke is shipped through the mob in Philly. Close the center and take out the Philly mob.
Just read about your State Senator, Fumo, who was indicted. Hope he was one of Murtha's best friends.
It is so sad to see my state go to hell any more than it has in the past.
The NDIC address in Johnstown is:
319 Washington Street, 5th Floor
Johnstown, PA 15901-1622
Telephone: 814-532-4601
FAX: 814-532-4690
Our address in Washington D.C. is:
Office of Policy and Interagency Affairs
United States Department of Justice
Robert F. Kennedy Building (Room 1335)
950 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20530
Telephone: (202) 532-4040
Much of nothing to show for it, except good employees doing their civic duty /sarc
http://www.usdoj.gov/ndic/prs.htm
That's enough to put me off dinner. Reminds me of something President Reagan said, "The most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'"
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