Posted on 07/22/2009 11:34:13 AM PDT by kellynla
Sometimes, federal pork is just that - pork.
Internet newsman Matt Drudge drew squeals of anger from President Obama's agriculture chief on Monday after his Drudge Report Web site revealed the feds spent millions of stimulus dollars on piglet-sized pork products.
One contract, listed on the government's recovery.gov Web site, indicated that federal bean counters had spent $1.19 million for "2 pound frozen ham sliced." An additional $16.7 million contract was earmarked simply for "canned pork."
But Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack insisted Monday that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act contracts were all, er, kosher, and dismissed Drudge's take as pure slop.
The purchases for sliced ham and other contracts - including mozzarella and other cheeses - were to provide soup kitchens and homeless shelters with food for the needy.
And governmentese references to 2 pounds of frozen ham and other sizes was to the products' packaging, not the overall amount of food purchased.
In fact, the Agriculture Department purchased some 760,000 pounds of ham with that $1.19 million - a cost of about $1.50 a pound, Vilsack said.
"This program will help reduce hunger of those hardest hit by the current economic recession," insisted Vilsack, the former Democratic governor of Iowa - the nation's No. 1 pork producer.
Vilsack further argued that buying hams for poor people would stimulate the economy, in line with Obama's $787 billion stimulus package.
"While the principal purpose of these expenditures is to provide food to those hardest hit by these tough times," Vilsack said, "the purchases also provide a modest economic benefit ... [to] food retailers, manufacturers and transportation companies as well as the farmers and ranchers who produce our food supply."
(Excerpt) Read more at nydailynews.com ...
References to ham and pork appeared to become the more generic "meat, poultry and fish," while mozzarella and other cheeses became "dairy foods and eggs."
This is a product of the sick arrogance and incompetence we are suffering from.
Everyday there’s something. It’s like us against them. These people were elected by us. They serve us. We need term limits plain and simple.
-PJ
it gives the homeless the energy they need to buy Colt .45, weed, and make it to the methadone clinics on time.
Can't keep track these days.
Of course, the “journalist” so intent on exposing Drudge didn’t seem to bother to ask where this particular pork actually went, just accepting the claim it went to the “homeless.”
Wow. Could have at almost half the cost with that idea.
I always told my kids when they were growing up: “Say what you mean and mean what you say.” Words have precise meanings - wether written or spoken. If the language is “governmentese” for package size, then the total amount must be indicated somewhere - or it will be taken literally. Imagine if someone was granted that money, read the grant and delivered PRECISELY what it said. No court of law would hold him to blame and he’d get the money.
In the Merchant of Venice, Shylock is entitled to his pound of flesh - but could draw not a drop of blood. Don’t they ever learn?
Vilsack further argued that buying hams for poor people would stimulate the economy, in line with Obama’s $787 billion stimulus package.
“While the principal purpose of these expenditures is to provide food to those hardest hit by these tough times,” Vilsack said, “the purchases also provide a modest economic benefit ... [to] food retailers, manufacturers and transportation companies as well as the farmers and ranchers who produce our food supply
Lying just comes so easy to these assclowns..
$1.50 a pound divied between food retailers, manufacturers,transportaion companies,farmers and ranchers etc. is somewhat LESS then a modest economic benfit to anyone....
All that money spent DID NOT in any manner stilulate the economy
Thanks Vilsak, but why wasn’t the stuff bought out the usual Agriculture budget? Why use the stimulus money?
At least half the cost, or more with that volume just going to Sam’s Club.
But that is far too logical for the idiots in Washington to figure out.
They are the ones being economically stimulated.
Its not about return on investment, its who is being "stimulated".
"Die Infidels!"
With all the pork we’re talking about, it makes me wish that Obama was a more observant Moslem.
I ham in full agreement with that. Of course, we don’t know what he does in private, i.e., whether he spends part of the day on a prayer rug facing Mecca inside the White House.
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