Ron Paul’s Earmark Requests for FY2009

March 12th, 2009 2:54 pm | by Mike Miller | Published in Big Government, congress, Constitution, government spending, Liberty, Politics, Ron Paul, Taxes | 47463 Responses2009-03-12+19%3A54%3A10Mike+Miller

Ron Paul has defended the use of earmarks to Neil Cavuto on Fox News, and explained to the U.S. House of Representatives why earmarks are a good thing. The gist of his argument was that earmarks do not increase the budget; they simply set side money already budgeted. That is, earmarks do not increase the amount of money budgeted. In addition, earmarks account for only about 1% of all the funds budgeted.

Ron Paul was elected to represent his constituents; therefore, it is his job to forward their requests for spending. However, when it comes time to vote, he consistently votes against such spending, since most of the time it is unconstitutional.

Now that the deadline has passed for House members to submit their earmark request for fiscal year 2009, Ron Paul has published his list:

Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science:

$250,000 for Galveston Economic Development Partnership, for Galveston Center for Business and Technology Development to help spin off private investment at National Lab of the University of Texas Medical Branch
$500,000 for City of Bay City for NuBlac Rehab Center (youth rehabilitation)

Subcommittee on Defense:

$3.5 million for study of health risks of exposure to vanadium

Subcommittee on Military Construction:

$2 million for City of Bay City for NuBlac Rehab Center (serving minority veterans)

Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development:

$41.073 million for Army Corps of Engineers to deepen and widen Texas City Channel
$21.6 million for Army Corps of Engineers to dredge and reconfigure jetties at mouth of Colorado River
$7.02 million for Army Corps of Engineers to dredge Freeport Harbor
$16.021 million for Army Corps of Engineers to maintain Galveston Harbor
$1 million for Army Corps of Engineers for construction at Cedar Bayou
$3.297 million for Army Corps of Engineers to maintain Texas City Channel
$200,000 for Army Corps of Engineers to maintain Cedar Bayou
$13.038 million for Army Corps of Engineers to maintain Matagorda Ship Channel
$42.018 million for Army Corps of Engineers to maintain Gulf Intercoastal Waterway
$3.026 million for Army Corps of Engineers to maintain channel to Victoria
$600,000 for Army Corps of Engineers for feasibility study for Sabine Pass to Galveston Bay
$400,000 for Army Corps of Engineers for feasibility study for Feeport Harbor
$100,000 for Army Corps of Engineers for feasibility study for Lower Guadalupe River Basin
$400,000 for Army Corps of Engineers for preliminary engineering and design study at Freeport Harbor.
$21.7 million for Army Corps of Engineers for construction at Houston Galveston Navigation Channel
$2.165 million for Army Corps of Engineers to maintain Trinity River
$6.979 million for Army Corps of Engineers to maintain Wallisville Lake
$1.3 million for Army Corps of Engineers to study flooding around Colorado River
$11 million for Army Corps of Engineers for construction at Wharton and Onion Creek
$3.026 million for Army Corps of Engineers for Chocolate Bayou
$533,000 for Army Corps of Engineers to maintain channel to Port Bolivar
$41.623 million for Army Corps of Engineers to maintain Houston Ship Channel
$1.01 million for Army Corps of Engineers to maintain Double Bayou
$3 million for Army Corps of Engineers for construction at Clear Creek
$500,000 for Army Corps of Engineers to maintain Port Palacios
$100,000 for Army Corps of Engineers to study sand placement near Brazoria County shoreline

Subcommittee on Interior and the Environment:

$5 million for Fort Bend County for City of Kendleton water and sewer improvements

Subcommittee on Homeland Security:

$10 million for Coast Guard to improve Galveston Rail Causeway
$8.8 million for FEMA for drainage at Cove Harbor in Aransas County
$2.2 million for FEMA to reconfigure and stabilize Capano Causeway Pier
$500,000 for FEMA for Aransas County drainage master plan
$35 million for FEMA for drainage in Friendswood
$10 million for FEMA for drainage project for Friendswood/Clear Creek
$10 million for FEMA for drainage project for Friendswood/Clear Creek
$5 million for FEMA to recycle household hazardous waste in Friendswood

Subcommittee on Transportation:

$1.96 million to replace buses in and around Victoria
$2 million to renovate transit maintenance facility in Galveston
$5 million to reconfigure Texas Clipper training ship
$25,000 to install security cameras at Fox Run Apartments in Victoria
$2 million to beautify Galveston Seawall and support Transit Access Program in Galveston
$3.6 million to construct inter-modal transit facility in Victoria
$3.5 million for analysis of commuter rail alternatives in Galveston
$10.3 million for City of Bay City for NuBlac Youth/Community Center
$2.2 million for City of Bay City for improvements to electrical wiring in low and moderate income housing

Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, Education:

$90,000 for Victoria Chamber of Commerce for business/career-related education for youth
$248,942 for UTMB for employee wellness program for small businesses
$1.748 million for University of Houston-Victoria for DNA testing and genetic diagnostic lab
$300,000 for Bay City MEHOP for fund reinstatement of mobile unit
$200,000 for Bay City MEHOP to recruit nurse practitioner
$1.92 million for UTMB to study muscle mass loss in aging vs. microgravity (NASA related) at International Space Station National Lab
$750,000 for Houston Memorial Hermann HealthCare system for Life Flight operations center
$26 million for Washington, D.C. “Reading is Fundamental” program
$10 million for Boston, Mass., “Reach Out and Read” national center

One of the main justifications for Ron Paul forwarding these earmarks (even though he votes against them) is that since they probably get passed, at least his constituents will make the best of a poor system that confiscates their earnings through taxes (i.e. they will get some of they money back, in the form of government-paid services or “stuff”).

However, following this, I find it hard to understand how some of the earmarks listed above will help his constituents in Texas. For example, what about the $26 million for Washington, D.C. “Reading is Fundamental” program? Or the $10 million for Boston, Mass., “Reach Out and Read” national center.

I, for one, would like to hear Dr. Paul’s explanation for these.

4746Responses2009-03-12+19%3A54%3A10Mike+Miller

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Matt Ferraguto says:

March 13th, 2009 at 1:46 pm (#)

Hello! I'm the Director of Communications for Reach Out and Read's National Center in Boston, and I read your posting and would be happy to explain how our program benefits Congressman Paul's constituents.

As you may know, Reach Out and Read is a nationwide nonprofit early literacy organization that works with doctors and nurses to encourage parents to read aloud to their young children, and give a brand-new, age-appropriate book to children ages 6 months to 5 years old at every regular pediatric checkup.

I'm sure you've heard that early literacy skills are the single strongest predictor of school success. We're an evidence-based (more than a dozen research studies confirm that Reach Out and Read works), cost-effective (the full, five-year program costs only $40 per child!) program with more than 4,100 Program Sites nationwide.

In Congressman Paul's district, there are 10 ROR Programs, serving more than 11,000 infants, toddlers, and preschoolers in the Texas 14th. Statewide, there are 236 ROR Programs, serving 240,000 children, and distributing 400,000 books annually!

Here is a list of the ROR Programs in Congressman Paul’s District:
º Alvin Pediatric Associates / UTMB, Alvin
º UTMB Regional Maternal and Child Health Program / Angleton Clinic, Angleton
º Matagorda Episcopal Health Outreach Program, Bay City
º UTMB Maternal and Child Health Program – Dickinson, Dickinson
º Brazosport Medical Center, Freeport
º Pediatric Associates of Friendswood, Friendswood
º University of Texas Medical Branch @ Galveston, Galveston
º Pediatric Associates / League City Pediatrics, League City
º Neighborhood Family Clinic, Texas City
º Regional Maternal Child Health Program, Texas City

If you have any more questions, please feel free to contact me, or visit our website:
http://www.reachoutandread.org

Thanks!
Matt
Matt Ferraguto says:

March 13th, 2009 at 1:57 pm (#)

Hello! I'm the Director of Communications for Reach Out and Read's National Center in Boston, and I read your posting and would be happy to explain how our program benefits Congressman Paul's constituents.

As you may know, Reach Out and Read is a nationwide nonprofit early literacy organization that works with doctors and nurses to encourage parents to read aloud to their young children, and give a brand-new, age-appropriate book to children ages 6 months to 5 years old at every regular pediatric checkup.

I'm sure you've heard that early literacy skills are the single strongest predictor of school success. We're an evidence-based (more than a dozen research studies confirm that Reach Out and Read works), cost-effective (the full, five-year program costs only $40 per child!) program with more than 4,100 Program Sites nationwide.

In Congressman Paul's district, there are 10 ROR Programs, serving more than 11,000 infants, toddlers, and preschoolers in the Texas 14th. Statewide, there are 236 ROR Programs, serving 240,000 children, and distributing 400,000 books annually!

Here is a list of the ROR Programs in Congressman Paul’s District:
º Alvin Pediatric Associates / UTMB, Alvin
º UTMB Regional Maternal and Child Health Program / Angleton Clinic, Angleton
º Matagorda Episcopal Health Outreach Program, Bay City
º UTMB Maternal and Child Health Program – Dickinson, Dickinson
º Brazosport Medical Center, Freeport
º Pediatric Associates of Friendswood, Friendswood
º University of Texas Medical Branch @ Galveston, Galveston
º Pediatric Associates / League City Pediatrics, League City
º Neighborhood Family Clinic, Texas City
º Regional Maternal Child Health Program, Texas City
LibertarianMike says:

March 13th, 2009 at 6:35 pm (#)

Hi Matt. Thanks for the explanation regarding how the Boston earmark benefits Ron Paul's district.

I'm not a big fan of the concept of "Head Start" and early-learning programs. I've read quite a bit of analysis that such programs really only aid children from poor and/or neglectful households, and only in the short term. I do not have the studies in front of me, but from what I remember, regardless of differences in learning at early ages, it all sort of "evens" out once the child is around age 7 or so. In other words, children who participated in early-learning programs would have an advantage over a child who didn't around the age 4, but both children demonstrate similar proficiencies and learning capacities by the age of 7. (If I find those links, I'll post them). Here is another article I just ran across that comes to a similar conclusion: http://www.fff.org/freedom/1192c.asp

I also feel the need to point out that regardless of the program's level of success, it is clearly unconstitutional. It's not something the federal government should be involved in. This is not only opinion; it's the law….the The Supreme Law of the Land called the Constitution.

-Mike