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County Jeopardizes Emergency Money By Passing On Shady Earmark
It just goes to show: Lee County, Florida was asking for trouble when it decided to rebuff Rep. Don Young's (R-AK) pork. Now if they're hit by a hurricane and need help and can't get it, they'll only have themselves to blame.
The Department of Transportation warned Lee County, Florida in a letter last week that it has jeopardized receiving emergency funds by voting to return the extra-Constitutional $10 million earmark Rep. Don Young (R-AK) slipped them in 2005.
DOT wrote the county ominously saying:
Since Florida is in the middle of hurricane season, this action could jeopardize potential funding from the Emergency Relief Program, which provides for the repair and reconstruction of Federal-aid highways and roads on Federal lands which have suffered serious damage as a result of (1) natural disasters or (2) catastrophic failures from an external cause.
In order to ensure such funding, the DOT wants the county to revise the process by which it rejected Young's $10 million.
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Comments (10)
TomBombadil wrote on September 13, 2007 12:20 PM:Nothing like full court press GOP politicization of our government at work.
nofltwlt wrote on September 13, 2007 12:37 PM:The author should be fired on the spot!
The reason, too stupid to be alive.
footsore wrote on September 13, 2007 12:37 PM:So the weasel strikes back.
BlueInTexas wrote on September 13, 2007 12:43 PM:footsore
Looks like the State Attorney General or the DOJ (I know, I know, but I can dream, can't I?) ought to look into who is applying pressure to FL-DOT to take such actions.
Are there DOT staffers on the take from the developers?
Are they getting calls from state and national legislators that have also had $40k fundraisers?
Anonymous wrote on September 13, 2007 12:51 PM:Don Young will be in jail for much worse, his day is coming
Steve5117 wrote on September 13, 2007 1:05 PM:I spoke to Stanley Cann several weeks ago when he wrote the MPO to explain the situation. It appears that Tamara Christion is doing the same thing.
The problem is that the MPO held a meeting and voted to send the earmarked money back. That meeting violated Florida law because it was not properly advertised to the public.
I was told by Mr. Cann that once the MPO addresses the issue in compliance with Florida law that FDOT would have no objections. I suspect the FHWA is just reiterating the need for the Lee County MPO to meet the Florida law.
JohnJ wrote on September 13, 2007 1:54 PM:Come-on .... anybody not from this third world state of Florida remember who just retired as Governor? Don't you think he might have left a few "moles" (really cockroaches) behind? He left a model of destroyed government for his big brother to follow.
Hint hint.. his last name starts with a "B" and ends with "ush".
Anonymous wrote on September 13, 2007 7:11 PM:"That meeting violated Florida law because it was not properly advertised to the public."
So in Florida, it is illegal to send illegally gotten funds back without advertising it to the public?
Perhaps we need to send Florida up to... perhaps southeastern Alaska...
moondancer wrote on September 13, 2007 9:05 PM:I'm beginning to get the feeling that the conversion of the US Govt to GOP govt has been 100% success. Looks like next pres will have to fire every govt worker hired between jan 2001 and jan 2009 just to make sure all vermin are eradicated.
Jane wrote on September 15, 2007 8:52 AM:i feel like a broken record: who investigates who sent out this offensive letter and why?