Sou-sou-sooey!

by Bryan Zepp Jamieson

05/28/03

http://www.zeppscommentaries.com/Politics/proxmire.htm

A favorite pastime of conservatives and libertarians is that, every time a new budget comes out, of playing Proxmire. Proxmiring the budget is an old and honored tradition, and done honestly, does the taxpayers a service.

The only trouble is that Bill Proxmire, the former Senator famed for his "Golden Fleece" awards in the 60s and 70s, often wasn’t particularly honest. He made a point of targeting funding for scientific projects that could not be described in one sentence without sounding frivolous and/or ridiculous, and he would do so by describing them in one sentence.

He’s one of the main reasons why America is rapidly losing the leadership role it had in the arts and sciences. He doubtlessly did some good, and trimmed some waste. But he also destroyed quite a few worthwhile and even vital government projects in his never ending search for the amusing quip and political points.

But these days, when someone plays Proxmire, the web makes it pretty easy to find out what lies behind the one-liners. All I have to do is cut and paste the name of the project being listed, do a Google search on it, and (usually) get enough information to make at least a semi-informed judgment on the item in question.

One particular neo-con, calling himself "Anti-Jackass", came up with the usual type of Proxmire list that he labeled "pork". I got curious, and did some searches. That only took a half an hour. Most of the projects he had listed as pork poster children had at least SOME mention, and many had useful information detailing what they were and why they were being funded. And over half of them were fairly easy to justify. Here’s some from that list of Anti-Jackass’s:

>>_$33 million for the National Animal Disease Center in Ames, Iowa.

He must not get out much. He’s apparently not heard of mad cow disease, hoof and mouth disease or Newcastle disease. That’s three good reasons right there why we need a center to coordinate national response to animal diseases.

>>$21 million for the Magdalena Ridge Observatory in New Mexico.

Let me guess: he thinks we've learned all we need to know about the universe. Here's what it says about the MRO: Magdalena Ridge Observatory: Ivory Paper 001106, by Scott W. Teare, New Mexico Tech {...]

>>_$7.7 million for the Alaska Wide Mobile Radio Program.

Let's see this project features:: Wide area connectivity; Airport/MOA Interoperability; Remote FAA ANICS Connectivity; Anchorage to Juneau performance testing: Interoperability with Fairbanks public safety responders. In Alaska, these sound like pretty useful things.

Incidently, this IS a DOD project.

>>_$6.2 million for wood utilization research.

It says: '"This funding recognizes the outstanding research conducted at UT with continued funding for wood utilization research and increased funding for expanding the horticulture research conducted in collaboration with USDA," Thompson said. "Results from these two projects stand to decrease wood waste bound for landfills, improve pest control measures, and better the environment through biodiversity. I'm pleased that our colleagues have approved funding for this important UT research.'"

The Thompson referred to is former Senator Fred Thomson. The sponsor of this amendment is Bill Frist. I have no use for Frist, but this is a worthy cause. The use of biomass for construction, fuel, and thermal depolymerization could greatly alleviate the mismanagement of our forests.

>>_$4 million for the International Fertilizer Development Center.

Is that what they're calling the State Department these days?

Seriously, the IFDC is one of the few good things Henry Kissinger ever did. Here's their website description: "What is IFDC? The International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) is an autonomous, nonprofit, public, international organization. It was established in 1974 during a world food crisis and at the urging of then U .S. Secretary of State Dr. Henry Kissinger. In 1977 U.S. President Jimmy Carter, by an Executive Order accorded IFDC immunities and privileges of an international organization. The initial purpose of IFDC was to help the developing countries solve their food_deficit problems by focusing on the development of fertilizers and fertilizer practices to meet the special needs of their tropical and subtropical climates and soils. IFDC has always stressed the need for efficiency in the production, marketing, and use of fertilizer to protect the environment, reduce energy consumption, and ensure its cost_ effectiveness. Since 1975 IFDC's scientists have been striving to create a more sustainable agriculture in the developing countries by helping them to develop a more competitive and cost_effective fertilizer subsector to build soil fertility and produce more food. More recently, IFDC has evolved into a multifaceted center with a broadened focus. IFDC's mission today focuses on increasing and sustaining food and agricultural productivity in the developing countries through the development and transfer of effective and environmentally sound plant nutrient technology and agribusiness expertise.

>>_$2 million for the Kodiak Pier in Alaska.

Given the dire straits our oceans are in (ninety PERCENT depletion?) perhaps supporting what's left of the fishing industry would be a waste of money. But it seems they want to build a LAUNCH facility there for polar orbits, and Kodiak just happens to have Alaska's best deep sea port and needs expansion anyway. It’s also a vital access route for goods and services for the inhabitants for nearly half of that vast state.

>>_$1 million for the Math Teacher Leadership Program in Iowa.

We SHOULDN'T try to make Americans - even those in Iowa - more math-literate?

>>_$1 million for a DNA study of bears in Montana.

Here's what that one says: "We are sitting here with a population that a lot of the bear managers think is expanding, but we don't have any information on it," said Kate Kendall, a researcher with the U.S. Geological Survey who started the Greater Glacier Bear DNA Project to more accurately estimate bear populations there.

Obviously, its importance depends on whether you give a damn about the survival of the grizzly bear or not.

>>_$1 million for the Alaska Native Justice Center.

Turns out this outfit is vital to the local native population, who need all the help they can get. It says here: The Alaska Native Justice Center is a non_ profit organization to advocate and serve the unmet needs of the Alaska Native community in the civil and criminal justice system.

Since its formation in 1993, the Justice Center has helped more than 5,000 Alaska Natives to resolve legal concerns in the justice system at the local, state and federal level. It has also helped individuals and families involved with the child welfare system. Although Alaska Natives represent just over 16 percent of the state's population, 35 percent comprise the incarcerated population and 50 percent are victims of sexual assault in Anchorage. Subsequently, the Justice Center has developed programs that encompass a full range of justice system concerns.

As with the bear DNA project, either you give a damn or you don’t. One reason why I dislike libertarians and neo-cons is because they don’t give a damn, and usually try to be sanctimonious and insufferable about it.

>>_$600,000 for the Charleston Bump in South Carolina.

Depends which Charleston Bump you mean. The C&W line dance, I agree. If you mean the anomolous rise in the ocean floor off Charleston SC and the resultant periodic plankton blooms, then yes, this needs study.

>>_$500,000 for catfish health in Stoneville, Miss.

A pity we didn't devote the same to salmon health along the Klamath. We ended up with a species nearly annihilated and a major local multi-million dollar industry wiped out because heavily subsidized agribusinesses, passing themselves off as victimized rural small farmers, stole the water.

>>_$150,000 for the Vermont World Trade Center.

OK, I admit I pictured twin towers in Montpelier, towering nearly four stories into the atmosphere. Turns out it's part of a bigger organization, one that states: "The World Trade Centers Association is an organization of nearly 300 World Trade Centers in almost 100 countries, connected to expand your global business."

>>_$50,000 for the Marion County Library in South Carolina to establish a

>>computer lab.

One of Gore's pet projects, and a worthwhile one. I note that the Republicans even think it's worthwhile

Anti-Jackass had a long list, and here’s most of them. They broke down into three categories: those that were so obviously worthwhile that they needed no comment, some where I had no idea what the money was being budgeted for, and in the third category, stuff that sounded like pork to me, too.

Of course, by foolishly listing the ones I see as pork, I’m inviting outraged comment from supporters. At least, I hope I am. And I’ll cheerfully do a second column on those comments, too, since this column is about the fallacy of playing Proxmire, and by having a "sounds like pork" list, I’m committing the same fallacy.

The difference between me and Anti-Jackass is that I KNOW it’s a fallacy.

So here’s the remainder of his list:

Obviously worthwhile: $250,000 to implement the National Preschool Anger Management Project.

No idea what this is: $50,000 for the Nevada Women's Fund in Reno; $25 million for the International Fund for Ireland; $3 million for the Department of Defense's Tanker Lease Pilot Program;

Sounds like pork to me: $6.8 million in YMCA and YWCA funding. (Agreed. Religious organization. Has no business in the federal budget.); $202,500 for the National Peanut Festival Fairgrounds in Dothan, Ala. (Speaking of peanuts. this does sound suspiciously like pork to me.); $750,000 for the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. (Agreed. This is a waste of taxpayer money. I'm a baseball fan, and I think it's a waste of money. If the major leagues can sign players to nine-figure contracts, they can swing a lousy $750K for their biggest tourist attraction.); $350,000 for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. (Agreed. And yes, I'm a rock fan, too.); $500,000 for the International Coffee Organization. (I'm dubious about that one. Except for a few tiny plantations in Hawaii, coffee isn't grown in the US.); $90,000 for the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame and Museum in Fort Worth, Texas.

Well, out of all those, I only saw a handful that struck me as a waste of money, which is pretty amazing given that they were all presented as being prime examples of wasting taxpayer money. Chances are someone could come out of the woodwork and explain logically what the money is for on the ones I found indefensible.

Anyone can be a Proxmire, but these days, it's pretty easy to get the information behind the silly-sounding one-line descriptions.

Anti-Jackass kind of shredded his credibility on being a good observer of the federal budget and fiscal waste management with this closing line:

>>Seems like a good chance for Bush to use that Line Item Veto.

Um, haven't been keeping up with the news, have you?

*****************

Correction:  In the original version of this essay, I referred to Proxmire as being "long-dead"  That is, it turns out, incorrect.  I'm informed that Bill Proxmire is not "late" although at age 87 he is suffering from Alzheimer's and has had a stroke, so his role in public life has clearly ended. My source also added information that serves as a reminder that the term "conservative" had an entirely different meaning just 15 years ago from what it does today, and that Proxmire did several things worthy of note. My source included the following information:

His standards of personal conduct are legendary. He still holds the
record for most consecutive votes in the Senate, having been in
attendance for more than 10,000 roll call votes during the course of 22
years. In his last two campaigns for the Senate, in 1976 and 1982, he
refused to take campaign donations. Mr. President, let me reiterate
that. Not just PAC money, not just donations above a certain amount. He
did not take any money at all, from anyone. In each of these campaigns,
he spent less than $200 all of it out of his own pocket, and most of it
to pay for postage and envelopes to send back donations offered to him
by his supporters. Mr. President, when Senate campaigns nowadays cost
millions of dollars, this feat seems remarkable enough. The fact that,
in both instances, he won by a landslide, demonstrates the peerless
quality of his support and popularity among the fine people of Wisconsin.
http://dodd.senate.gov/press/Speeches/104_95/1109c.htm

* * *

Armenian National Committee of America PRESS RELEASE For Immediate
Release ~ April 10, 2003

Senator William Proxmire Honored with ANCA Freedom Award
The highlight of the Observance was the tribute by the ANCA to former
Wisconsin Senator Bill Proxmire, who led a tireless 20-year campaign to
attain U.S. adoption of the U.N. Genocide Convention. Senator Proxmire,
noted for his unswerving commitment to human rights, delivered over
3,200 speeches during his Senate career to ensure passage of the
measure. Mrs. Ellen Proxmire, who was present to receive the ANCA
Freedom Award on her husband’s behalf, offered moving remarks about the
Senator’s career and lifelong commitment to preventing genocide. The
Senator's efforts were documented in Samantha Power's book, "A Problem
from Hell: American in the Age of Genocide," which recently won the
Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction. The actual legislation
implementing the Genocide Convention is known popularly as the Proxmire Act.

-- If I can stop to give Bill Frist and even Henry Kissinger credit for good things they did (as I did in that essay), then I would be remiss to not do the same for the more deserving Proxmire.