Trump Derangement Syndrome

Just when I think "Trump Derangement Syndrome" cannot get any worse, I read the following from the New York Post...

"Gov. Cuomo just vetoed a bill that would have allowed all federal judges to officiate at weddings in New York — saying he can’t stomach the idea that even some of the jurists might be President Trump appointees.

'I cannot in good conscience support legislation that would authorize such actions by federal judges who are appointed by this federal administration,' Cuomo said in a statement Friday as he shot down the bill — which was passed overwhelmingly by the Democratic-controlled state legislature."

Impeachment

In my opinion, any rational individual who is not suffering from "Trump Derangement Syndrome" would see the highly partisan/political impeachment of the president as a complete and utter sham. The question I would like to ask those individuals who support impeachment is: "if President Trump is as bad as you believe, then why is the country doing so well".

We are currently experiencing one of the best economies in my lifetime and it will only get better once the recent trade deals are implemented. Why would anyone want to risk losing it by going back to bigger government, higher taxes and more regulations? The only answer that makes sense to me is to regain political power at the expense of the American public.

Endless Investigations

Our government spends millions of taxpayer dollars on endless investigations but almost never holds anyone accountable. In my opinion, until someone is convicted and sent to prison, unelected bureaucrats will continue to do what is in their best interests, not the American public.

Waste Report

Republican Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) recently published the fall edition of his Waste Report that details prodigal spending by the federal government. According to Paul's report, taxpayer spent $230 million on items ranging from $500,000 for an unused toilet and $22 million to bring Serbian cheese up to international standards.

EBT Card Abuse

On 18 different occasions in 2019, a Massachusetts Electronic Benefit Transfer card was swiped in Hawaii — including one that was used twice at a posh island resort where rooms fetch $800 a night, a report published Monday said. According to the Herald's report, in one instance an EBT card was used to buy a $700 round-trip ticket from the state to Hawaii.

The Boston Herald said it reviewed more than 2 million EBT expenditures over the past year and found thousands of out-of-state transactions that included withdrawals in Las Vegas and Alaska.

Home Improvements for a U.S. Ambassador

In case you missed it in the rapid-fire news cycle of the Trump impeachment inquiry, key witness and U.S. ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland was revealed to have spent more than $1 million in taxpayer funds on renovations to his homes in Brussels and Washington, D.C. Far from the first administration official to be implicated for lavish personal spending, Sondland's purchases included $33,000 for Italian handmade furniture, $13,000 for a "split heat system Jacuzzi/swimming pool," $95,000 for the installation of an "outdoor living pod/pergola," and $100,000 for his family to relocate during the renovation process.

Crab and Lobster Splurge

Toward the end of each fiscal year, federal agencies tend to splurge on outside contractors in a frenzy to run out their budget, lest they come in under and lose the funds for the next year. Of the $544 billion allotted for outside contractors in 2018, for example, almost $97 billion was spent in September, the last month of the fiscal year. The Department of Defense was responsible for almost two-thirds of these last-minute expenditures, with the most newsworthy items being $2.1 million on games and toys, $490 million for furniture, and $4.6 million on crab and lobster tail.

Prime Cuts 2019

To help prevent this fiscal disaster from occurring, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) is releasing Prime Cuts 2019, which has been published since 1993.  The 2019 version contains 620 recommendations that would save taxpayers $433.8 billion in the first year and $3.9 trillion over five years.

Trump Impeachment

The Democrats have been attacking and obstructing President Trump ever since he was elected. Although I disagree with their tactics, it is their right and unfortunately, a part of the highly partisan political theater in our country today. What I do object to is the waste of taxpayer dollars on endless investigations that have little or no merit. In essence, they are using taxpayer money for political purposes.

It was bad enough that they wasted $30 million on the Mueller Report. Now, they want to spend even more money on trying to impeach President Trump which will fail because it will not pass in the senate. They simply want to discredit President Trump before the 2020 election. If you like, please feel free to comment in the section below and/or vote in the poll...

Do you support Democrat's impeachment of President Trump?

Yes

No

$17 Billion To Baltimore

Last year, Baltimore received 17 billion dollars from the federal government. Where did that money go?

Mueller Investigation Costs

According to biannual reports released by the special counsel’s office, Mueller and his team spent $12.3 million in direct spending between his appointment on May 17, 2017 and Sept. 30, 2018. The office also said it incurred $12.9 million in “indirect” Justice Department spending, a category it described as “neither legally required” for disclosure, nor reported in filings by previous special counsels.

On average, the office spent roughly $8.4 million per each six-month period. If the final statement -- which has still not been released -- remains on par with previous costs, total spending from the investigation is expected to reach $34 million in both direct and indirect spending.

2019 Congressional Pig Book

The 2019 Congressional Pig Book has unearthed 282 earmarks costing taxpayers $15.3 billion in the appropriations bills funding the federal government in fiscal year (FY) 2019. The cost is more than half of the record of $29 billion in earmarks set 13 years ago – an ominous uptick in congressionally-directed, special interest spending. This also marks the seventh time that members of Congress violated the earmark moratorium adopted in FY 2011 in order to waste vital taxpayer dollars on parochial and non-essential pet projects.

Among the egregious examples of pork-barrel waste highlighted in the 2019 Pig Book are $13.8 million to manage wild horses and burros, $9 million to quarantine fruit flies, and $863,000 to eradicate brown tree snakes in Guam.

Wasteful Taxpayer-funded Congressional Travel

Tom Fitton, President of Judicial Watch, has an excellent article on how politicians waste taxpayers' money by using luxury military aircraft for their junkets. As an example, in 2010 Nancy Pelosi’s jet travel cost the Air Force $2,100,744.59 over a two-year period — $101,429.14 of which was for in-flight expenses, including food and alcohol.

One trip traveling through Tel Aviv, Israel, to Baghdad, Iraq, May 15-20, 2008, included members of Congress and their spouses and cost $17,931 per hour in aircraft alone. Purchases included: Johnny Walker Red scotch, Grey Goose vodka, E&J brandy, Bailey’s Irish Crème, Maker’s Mark whiskey, Courvoisier cognac, Bacardi Light rum, Jim Beam whiskey, Beefeater gin, Dewars scotch, Bombay Sapphire gin, Jack Daniels whiskey, Corona beer and several bottles of wine.

Shutdowns aside, given that our national debt is nearly $22 trillion, it might be reasonable to ask members of Congress, on both sides of the aisle, to forego both the booze and the frivolous junkets.