Posted on 02/12/2023 11:03:16 AM PST by george76
Once a year — every year since 1790 — the president of the United States has delivered a message on the state of the union.
From 1801 to 1913, though, that message was delivered in writing. But since then, the president has almost exclusively traveled to the U.S. Capitol to deliver the message in person.
It’s a pointless — and partisan — exercise. The president claims credit for everything good going on in the country, blames the opposing party for all the woes, and then delivers a laundry of all the things he wants to do in the future (most of which never get done).
Maybe it’s time we go back to a written message. On Tuesday, the annual event cost nearly a million dollars just to erect a fence to protect the Capitol (and much more when you factor in the salaries of all the law enforcement and security officials needed). Authorities have been spooked ever since January 6, 2021, when rioters swooped into the building and ran wild for hours, so they put up the fence.
But the architect of the U.S. Capitol (AOC) — that’s a federal agency responsible for the maintenance, operation, development, and preservation of the complex — said there was really no reason to erect the barrier.
Brett Blanton, the current Capitol architect, told the House Committee on House Administration on Thursday that there were no threats ahead of President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on Tuesday, but House and Senate officials still opted to erect the fence.
“It’s going to be cheaper to put the fence up and have less people,” he told the subcommittee, according to the Washington Examiner. Blanton said it cost $872,000 to put the fence up and take it back down, a cost borne by the U.S. Secret Service.
Rep. Laurel Lee (R-FL) asked Blanton why the fence was erected if there were no threats. “That is correct, and also on January 6 there was no specific threat as well,” he pointed out.
Blanton wasn’t at the Capitol on January 6, telling the committee, “There was no actionable intelligence that there was going to be anything here that was presented to the Capitol Police Board.”
Some lawmakers were furious he wasn’t on site that day.
“I’m outraged that you would be in a comfortable place, sir, while the rest of us were thinking about dying that day and how we were going to come out alive that day,” Rep. Norma Torres (D-CA) told Blanton. “Outrageous that you were not here.”
“I find it mind-blowing that the head of the AOC, the leader, knowing what you knew — probably a lot more than we did that day — would not have been in this building ensuring the safety and security not only of the building but of the employees that you lead,” echoed Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-OK).
That statement perked up the ears of Rep. Bryan Steil (R-WI), chairman of the committee that oversees the police and architect’s office. He told lawmakers he would examine whether there was “actionable intelligence” before the January 6 riots.
Somewhere, there is a check made out to the Biden Pelosi Temporary Fence Company, is my guess.
Because it wasn’t their money!
The fence was put up ONLY as a P.R. stunt as if justified with their false “anti-Maga” “democracy is in jeopardy” narrative.
The fence was put up ONLY as a P.R. stunt as if justified with their false “anti-Maga” “democracy is in jeopardy” narrative.
Oh don’t worry about it. It was government money so it didn’t cost anybody anything. Do I really need the /s?
How many people were gathered on the Mall for SloJo’s State of the Union speech, anyways?
$872K here and an $872K there, pretty soon you’re talking about real money!
Just the latest example of the Biden administration’s out of control spending.
The rhetoric coming from the administration - once they decided on a course of action after the secret balloon flights became public - is demonstrably one-sided.
Its purpose is undeniably red herring-ish.
...and smells coopted.
Oops, wrong thread.
“On Tuesday, the annual event cost nearly a million dollars just to erect a fence to protect the Capitol.. - containing our ALL-IMPORTANT politicians, from the dirty, un-educated, un-washed masses - who are SUPPOSED TO BE REPRESENTED BY SAID POLITICIANS…
These clowns in DC KNOW they’re diametrically opposed to the will of the people.
Who got the contract?
This changes everything.
Well, SOMEBODY had to put up the fence, how else are they supposed to get some current pics?
.
Zackly!
At least they could let me have about 900’ or so instead of bulldozing it all. I like the secure feeling of having a fenced perimeter as much as the next FReeper!
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