Misused Taxpayers Monies
In 2021, President Biden got his 1.75 trillion-dollar infrastructure bill, one of the first of his spend, spend, spend bills. What has he done with all this money? What has been done in the past when political figures get massive amounts of money? Does this money really result in the benefits promised?
Probably one of the best examples of political misuse of funds would be William “Boss” Tweed who by 1860 headed Tammany Hall’s general committee (the executive committee of New York City’s Democratic Party) and thus controlled the Democratic Party’s nominations to all city positions. In 1870 Tweed forced the passage of a new city charter creating a board of audit by means of which he and his associates could control the city treasury. The Tweed ring then proceeded to milk the city through such devices as faked leases, padded bills, false vouchers, unnecessary repairs, and overpriced goods and services bought from suppliers controlled by the ring. Vote fraud at elections was rampant. His “Tweed Ring” cronies, systematically plundered New York City of sums estimated at between $30 million and $200 million.
Probably one of the best examples of political misuse of funds would be William “Boss” Tweed who by 1860 headed Tammany Hall’s general committee (the executive committee of New York City’s Democratic Party) and thus controlled the Democratic Party’s nominations to all city positions. In 1870 Tweed forced the passage of a new city charter creating a board of audit by means of which he and his associates could control the city treasury. The Tweed ring then proceeded to milk the city through such devices as faked leases, padded bills, false vouchers, unnecessary repairs, and overpriced goods and services bought from suppliers controlled by the ring. Vote fraud at elections was rampant. His “Tweed Ring” cronies, systematically plundered New York City of sums estimated at between $30 million and $200 million.
Well, what has Biden done with the trillion dollars for infrastructure? The first project is a $20 million “heated” sidewalk that the majority of citizens do not want. The concerns of Berlin, New Hampshire are a lack of good paying jobs, drugs, loss of businesses, and squatters in the nearby forest. The graduating class of Berlin High School, which was nearly 400 strong in 1973, was down to 98 last year. The theater, restaurants and shops that once lined Main Street are nearly all gone, with vacant storefronts and empty plots outnumbering viable businesses. What good are heated sidewalks to a dying town? |
What we don’t understand is that this is another “Green” plan. Excessive heat from a biomass plant will be pumped below downtown streets and sidewalks, to raise the temperatures of the pavement above freezing, and melting ice and snow without chemicals. This will eliminate the use of salt to melt the snow and ice. The salt which costs the city $200,000 a year, but also is believed to kill plants and fish.
I sympathize with the pollution issues, but find it interesting that they are more concerned with the fish than with the citizens of this city. The biomass plant is also questionable, since a wave of biomass plants closed in 2019 in nearby counties. I fear our government will spend all these funds for utopian green projects that will end up being impractical like electric cars in California but no power grid able to handle them and wind turbines in the Eastern coast waters that are destroying the fishing industry. Unfortunately, energy makes up the largest portion ($320B) of the Infrastructure Bill. These questionable expenditures are not the only ones. There is $10 billion marked for college programs to train a generation of environmental activists, $2.5 billion for “tree equity,” and $5 million apiece for desert fish and bee conservation. A $79B slush fund was given to the IRS, which is about six times the IRS’ entire annual budget. For a department that has numerous scandals and union domination, it would make it hard to absorb so much extra funding and power while avoiding waste, fraud, and abuse. |
The House bill also gives the EPA $775 million to monitor methane emissions, administer and collect fines, and set regulations which the bill directs the EPA to make even more strict within two years. The resulting higher costs of producing oil and gas will be passed down to customers—who will also be paying a second time as taxpayers to foot the bill for this new EPA program.
The bill would also ban new production of oil and gas off of nearly all of America’s coastline. The Biden administration acknowledges eliminating all greenhouse emissions from the US will have no meaningful impact on global temperatures. Yet the administration and allies in Congress continues to push punishing climate policies that will raise costs and taxes on American families and businesses. So much for fixing inflation!!
Probably the most serious issue with this infrastructure (?) bill is that it is partially funding programs which are intended to be made permanent. This means the cost estimates are far below planned. In total, these programs would likely cost well over $2.3 trillion above the estimate over 10 years.
Most professional economic experts say that uncontrolled spending is a major part of inflation, increase in cost of living, and an increasing dependency on the government to take care of our issues. As we learn from history, when people have access to large sums of money there is always misuse, pandering, overpaying for projects and other pay offs. Even the COVID funds are being used by states for other projects not related to COVID. |
Who is going to monitor the correct and beneficial use of this money? We need to have congressmen/women who make sure money is spent frugally, programs should have a direct, clear, and immediate purpose, should provide a necessary public service and serve a clear national interest. This is why we need to elect people who are concerned about spending, who are willing to hold people accountable for proper spending of funds and have moral integrity to stand up against corrupt government agencies and their directors. KLN