"Thanks, Hilda!"
Posted on 12/21/2018 12:07:13 AM PST by Revel
A grassroots online campaign to fund President Trump’s proposed border wall roared past $8.7 million on Thursday, but questions remained about whether the feds would be able to accept the gift.
As of Thursday evening, 143,821 people had donated $8,742,182 toward Air Force veteran Brian Kolfage’s GoFundMe campaign, titled We the People Will Fund the Wall, just a little over three days after its launch.
The pledge drive aims to raise $1 billion to “uphold our laws, and get this wall BUILT!” Kolfage, a Purple Heart recipient who lost both legs and an arm in Iraq, wrote on the campaign’s Web page. “It’s up to Americans to help out and pitch in to get this project rolling.”
Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), chair of the House Judiciary Committee and a longtime proponent of tighter border security, hailed the vet’s “impressive” campaign, even as he expressed reservations about allowing private citizens to govern with their wallets.
“I think it’s admirable, and I think that the country should respond,” Goodlatte told The Post. “Obviously, we can’t let citizens raise money and say, ‘The government will spend my money on this purpose.’ ”
According to the Treasury Department, general donations to the feds are directed to a “Gifts to the United States” fund, set aside for “general use” by the federal government or “budget needs.”
Specific federal agencies can’t touch this funding without a congressional appropriation.
Some agencies can accept gifts directly for earmarked purposes, but it was not clear if the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the borders, was among them.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
“then how did the wwii memorial get built?”
Congress specifically authorized the use of donations for that purpose, as they did for the Washington Monument over a century ago.
It takes as many votes to authorize the use of donations for building the wall, as it does to just fund it directly. But Congress could likely provide a thousand times what donations could.
Non-appropriated funds are used for many purposes, like fees in National Parks, or commisary profits used for Military health and welfare programs. They require specific Congressional Authorization.
Yes, we conservatives must be polite, follow the rules and march quietly to the cattle cars. By all means no out of the box thinking. Right?
“A billion dollars and some extra work done by true volunteers would have gotten us a conservative majority House”
And a few million can bribe a vote, or intimidate one through the use of thuggish “protestors” or smear jobs.
The Left has long used such cost effective methods to manipulate policy, and found many ways to launder even that money required out of the Treasury, under misleading pretenses.
“The wall would make illegal crossings almost impossible, saving lives. The reason a secure border wall has not been — and may not be — built is not apprehension that it would not work, but rather real fear that it would work only too well.”
“By all means no out of the box thinking. Right?”
A realistic plan has to executable, Right?
Doing something on an emotional basis, that is specifically prevented by law, goes beyond out of the box thinking, and into purely fanciful thinking.
From the GoFundMe site:
“The government has accepted large private donations before, most recently a billionaire donated $7.5 Million to fund half of the Washington Monument repairs in 2012; this is no different.”
Oh yeah, by no means show any emotion while leftist crush our proud nation. Right, I forgot that one. Maybe you could be so kind and give us all lessons in being good polite sheep? Please enlighten us into passivity. Will this require castration?
Ah but it only takes a vote by Congress. If the people raise the money, Congress will have no choice but to take notice.
“Obviously, we can’t let citizens raise money and say, ‘The government will spend my money on this purpose.’”
How about if Bloomberg provides a billion dollars to confiscate guns door to door?
Or if Leftists donate money to demolish border barriers?
The authority of the Federal Government is not available to any minority (even just a single billionaire) who is willing to spend their own money. The power of the Government is limited by the Constitutional process.
They had better allow the use of these Go Fund Me millions for Homeland Security’s wall.
If not, just think of all that money being used for Tea Party military ordinance instead.
“Maybe you could be so kind and give us all lessons in being good polite sheep?”
Lesson One: Better to spend our limited money effectively, than ineffectively.
hmmm, ok and thanks for the info...
“If the people raise the money, Congress will have no choice but to take notice.”
Wrong. They still have a choice. Leftists are more than willing to go against the popular will to advance their agenda. It is how they have implemented gay marriage, among many other policies.
Unrestricted immigration is the only tool they realistically have to finally overturn the Constitutional system and implement a Leftist dictatorship. Some of them are willing to kill millions to achieve that, much less ignore a gesture.
Slap on the face? Hell the hand writing is and will be on the wall. The FEDS do not want the border secured and will come up with any excuse to leave it open.
“Tell me were these polite good Jews?”
Now you are getting truly ridiculous.
If the Jews had put their money into politics and prevented the Nazis from gaining power, it would have been much more cot effective than conducting WWII to remove them.
More importantly, is would have been a feasible approach.
Private donations CANNOT be used to build border wall, without specific Congressional authorization.
Facts. Face them like a man.
Great point. And since when, are We The People, not in charge? (I mean when the politicos flap their yaps)
“I think this article may be intended to discourage donations and downplay the success of the campaign because it’s embarrassing to the anti-wall congress critters.”
You are correct. The Democrats, RINO’s, and the Media will be working overtime to discourage people from making a contribution.
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