Posted on 03/15/2005 3:09:41 AM PST by Liz
Newark used federal Department of Homeland Security funds to help pay for 10 top-of-the-line, air-conditioned garbage trucks ............
Newark unveiled its new garbage trucks last month — and boasted that the financing had partly come from "Homeland Security grants."
Republican lawmakers yesterday blasted the city for "misuse" of federal money.
"It goes to the heart of credibility," said Assemblyman Joseph Pennacchio......"You can't say we're buying garbage trucks on one hand and we're not getting enough Homeland Security money on the other."
Not to mention that it's illegal to buy garbage trucks with a Homeland Security grant, says the department.
"There's an approved list of equipment that can be bought with Homeland Security funding, and garbage trucks are not on that list," said department's spokesman, Marc Short.
"If it's true, we'll make sure we take measure to ensure that the dollars are returned."
As evidence, the feds can cite the city's own press release, issued when it proudly displayed the trucks in front of City Hall.
The release said the $174,804 vehicles "were paid for from the city's capital budget and Homeland Security grants."
But Homeland Security was hardly on the agenda that day.
"We are bringing out bigger and better brooms to keep Newark clean," Mayor Sharpe James said at the time.
"We are providing the highest levels of garbage pick-up to our residents. These trucks will enable Newark's dedicated and professional sanitation workers to do their jobs better."
But yesterday, the city tried to put another spin on the purchase.
"They have special apparatus on them for handling waste and debris. These machines are to be used in the event of a major cleanup [after a disaster.]"
Purnell did not specify how much of the $1.7 million purchase came from anti-terror funds or what pool of money was used.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Is the Dumbocrat mayor also gonna return the kickbacks he pocketed from the purchase? (/sarc)
he will spin it as:
If there is no trash pick up it breeds terrorism.
w/o a doubt, perhaps the Entire Top (/Bottom?) of that crimminal organization should be investigated.
..trash = terrorism? ...if thats' the case, their gonna need "alot more than just trucks" for Newark.
Betcha dollars to donuts an array of corrupt politicians got a piece of the action.
How do they do do it?
Easy as pie.
The politicians borrow money from friendly banks to take equity positions in companies doing business with the govt agency ........they use LLC's in which names of the business owners can be hidden.
Then when tax allocations kick in, politicans use their take to payoff the bank loans.......so taxpayers get royally screwed all around by these elected and appointed crooks.
This is not unique. Democrap congressman Bart Stupak facilitated several tens of thousand of Homeland Security dollars to Montmorency County Michigan a couple of years ago. Montmorency County is in northern Michigan and has a population of about 8000. I own property there and spend lots of time there. I've driven all over the county looking for the B-52 base or the battleship since the county announced it had the funding and have had no luck locating such security devices. I supsect ol Bart has taken care of all of the countys in his district this way too.
Exactly what that means, I have no idea. Clearly the homeland security funding has been used for many things NOT security related.
In Colorado the funds were used to build a recreation center for rescue personnel and/or firefighters.
The things we do for love.
What do you want a bet that the purchases will be justified as in the scope of the intent?
Hav'nt you realised it yet ? There is nothing outside the jurisdiction of "homeland security". It is the polititians ultimate cry.
...and these paper clips "could" be used on reports following a terrorist act...this limo is "potentially" to be used as an ambulance following a disaster caused by Bin Laden.
And Bart is an ex-state-trooper,as well. Oh, the shame of it.
An aside, though. Who's idea was this "potential" giant boondoggle?
While it does sound like a misuse of money, it really could be a way to keep an eye on terrorists. Properly trained agents could find out a lot about people via their trash and the trucks could be set up with surveillance equipment.
It is more likely a mom & pop will get busted for some BS charge than any terrorist capture though.
Voters should keep this is mind the next time Hilliary calls for still more 9-11 spending.
The other kicker is that unlike our highly paid brothers in Newark, we are volunteers. Being in a NFPA state, our line firefighters have to meet all of the same NFPA and HAZWOPR training and performance requirements as our city brothers, but the costs and the time comes out of our hides and our family's. And after we wash the apparatus down down at 2 AM, we have to get up 3 hours later to go to our real jobs.
Perhaps we are just poor grant writers, or perhaps DHS agrees with Hillary that a Maine firefighter's life is not worth as much as a FDNY firefighters life.
"Newark, N.J. has been but a third world like area since the riots in '67-'68', however I did find it necessary to trek into the "Down Neck" and the "Bloomfield Avenue" sections occasionally, to get good food.
The things we do for love"
Now I will have to go to Spanish Sangria for dinner. Hey, do you know what street the BBQ guy is on? I heard about a man who sells BBQ from a 1/2 oil barrel smoker that he has in a burned out entranceway to a building.
Best BBQ I ever had came from a vendor just like this on the southside of Chicago.
Sorry. I moved away these many years ago, but could it be Brother's on S Orange Avenue?
It's a shoddy looking place with great BBQ.
Newark has justified the purchase by suggesting that if they have a terror attack they will be prepared to clean up the rubble.
Why the tolerant and compassionate Mayor should apply for millions of 9/11 funds to buy luxury yachts for each apponted and elected official who might be planning to ferry terrorist victims to safer waters (sniffle).
Bump for later discussion
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