A little while back I wrote a piece in which I called upon my fellow social conservatives to keep the Republican coalition together by holding our representatives just as accountable for wasteful spending as we do for missteps in the social realm. I warned, specifically, that fiscal conservatives like John Cole and Adam C may get the completely correct idea that Republicans have turned their backs on the premise of small government, and bolt the party altogether, or at the very least stay home. This is something that we can ill afford.
This week, it seems that conservative frustration with out-of-control Republican spending is reaching a boiling point. First, there was the closer-than-expected special election in OH-2, which was primarily made close because Republicans largely stayed home due to the well documented fiscal habits of Republican candidate Jean Schmidt.
Now, with the passage of the pork-laden Energy and Transportation bills, many conservatives like Richard Viguere are steaming about what they call the "Washington Wing of the GOP":
If you're a conservative who believes in limited government, lower taxes, and modest spending - you might be experiencing a serious case of buyer's remorse these days when you look at Republicans in Washington.
The highway bill just passed by our Republican Congress (with the President's blessing), at $286.4 BILLION is the most expensive public works legislation ever passed. The National Taxpayers Union put it best when describing one of the more offensive projects in the bill,
"$220 million for a 5.9-mile bridge connecting Gravina Island (population 50) to the Alaskan mainland. The cost of the bridge alone would be enough to buy every island resident his own personal Lear jet."
It has become increasingly clear that Republicans in Washington care little or nothing about grassroots conservatives and the values they hold dear. After we spent decades defeating the Rockefeller wing of the Party it seems we have a new enemy - the Washington wing of the GOP. They're not just wasting money; they're actually massively growing government in direct contravention of everything Republicans purport to stand for.
Now, I want to speak specifically about this bridge project, because it is without a doubt the handiwork of Don Young (R-AK). Don Young and I go way back, as you'll see later on in this post. And I determined within myself that I would get an answer from the mouth of Congressman Young himself about this ridiculous spending project. The first step I will take is filling out the opinion form on his website. My "opinion" was as follows:
Dear Congressman Young,
I'm not entirely sure if you will remember me - my dad's name is (omitted here), and he used to run your campaign for the interior of the state (I believe the years were 1984, 1986, and possibly even 1982). You may remember that he ran the North Pole Paper and later the Valdez Vanguard - I myself can remember you coming by and having coffee with my dad on a number of occasions. I also remember throwing out buttons from floats in parades during some of these campaigns.
I am writing to you because I am very concerned about some of the wasteful spending that is going on in Washington that is frankly unbecoming of the Republican party, and is turning a lot of fiscal conservatives away from our party. The item that I see that is most continually brought up is the $220 million dollars that was set aside to build a bridge between Gravina Island (which I, who was raised in Alaska, have never heard of) to the mainland.
I can understand wanting to bring money back home to Alaska for work on projects and infrastructure that people here in the "lower 48" can't appreciate, because they don't know what it's like to live in some of these isolated places (like Valdez) where very often you are absolutely cut off from the rest of the world. However, the spending on this project really does strike me as being flat-out ludicrous, and an abuse of taxpayer money.
I'm not sure whether you remember me or my dad, but I remember you clearly, and I cannot express how disappointed I am in this most recent bill. If you would please explain to me and other dissilusioned Republicans like me why this money was necessary or even justified, I would be very grateful.
Respectfully,
(my name omitted here)
Expect more updates to follow. I will not go away.
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