Posted on 07/23/2007 3:45:35 AM PDT by Joe Voter
t would take me roughly twenty eight years to earn a million dollars, however, it only takes Congress a few minutes to give it away. But does Congress really know who is getting the money that they are so freely giving away? Apparently not, Republican Rep. Jeff Flake of Arizona questioned Rep. Peter Visclosky (D-Indiana) on the House floor July 17,2007 about whether the Center for Instrumented Critical Infrastructure actually exists since it is receiving over a Million Dollars. Rep. Flake's staff could find no information on the Center, not even a website. Rep. Peter Visclosky (D-Indiana), whether the Center actually existed, Visclosky said he did not know. Despite Flake's objection, the bill -- earmark included -- passed overwhelmingly.
But why should Visclosky know? The earmark belonged to.....
(Excerpt) Read more at meetjoevoter.com ...
Hasn’t the MSM sorted this out already, LOL? Where’s Pelosi? Who is asking her about this?
Check his freezer in the cellar
This belongs in blog/vanity.
Just more corruption and stealing from hard working US citizens.
I tip my hat to the Congressman for trying to expose it.
Looks like Murtha and his buddies need to be investigated to the fullest.
I’m going to start the North Texas Center For Economic Development and try for one of these earmarks. I live in DFW and $1M will develope the heck out of me economically.
Way to go Joe. Keep it up.
time to defund and pull out of congress and get our boys home!
The Wikipedia article on this is funny and sad
>>Center for Instrumented Critical Infrastructure
The Center for Instrumented Critical Infrastructure (CICI) is a grass roots group effort to track and combat unnecessary Congressional spending.
On July 18, 2007, the House of Representatives passed a bill containing a $1 million earmark for the “Center for Instrumented Critical Infrastructure”. When Congressman Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) challenged to purpose of this earmark and the existence of the organization, Rep. Pete Visclosky (D-Ind.), who chairs the spending subcommittee responsible for the project, admitted he didnt know whether it existed.[1].
However, per Rep. John Murthas (D-Pa.), this organization is a subsidiary of Concurrent Technology Corporation (CTC), a nonprofit organization in Johnstown, PA[2]. This information came out after the vote on the issue; the challenge against the earmark by Rep. Flake failed 98-326.
Nonetheless, as Congressmen blindly voted to fund something that may or may not have existed - giving the impression that Representatives do not read or research what they vote upon, CICI was established with the goal of educating the public to government waste, and legislative negligence.
The group was established on July 19, 2007 and chose the name of the mystery earmark grantee to use as a rallying call to the cause. The website specifically refuses to accept the $1 million earmark stating that it can be used for better things.<<
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center_for_Instrumented_Critical_Infrastructure
Pocket change to Dums.
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