Steve Latourette, Roads, and the Stimulus Package

I have read the linked article written about a smattering of comments made by Rep. Steve Latourette many, many times this week-end: I have no idea what he said, what he thinks, or in some instances what he is even talking about.

Note: I will be dissecting Rep. Latourette's FY 2010 Appropriations requests and the implications they have on Lake County AND North East Ohio (It's not lookn' to good!).

The congressman spoke with a bipartisan tone and said passing a federal highway bill should be a top priority, but as of now legislation is going nowhere.

Has Rep. Latourette or his staff looked around North East Ohio lately, in particular, Lake County?  Let's see...I-271 South was repaved from I-480 to I-90.  Route 2 is being widened from Route 91 to Route 44...over pass bridges on route 2 between the aforementioned routes are being widened...sigh.

Is Rep. Latourette serious?

O.K.  I will be fair...all of th work mentioned was already budgeted and funded...but, c'mon Latourette...its alright if the Federal Highway Trust Fund runs lean for a few moments...I am sure it will get filled back up in next year's budget!

Latourette cites 10.9 % unemployment in Ohio...he left out that unemployment in Lake County is under 8%, but goes on to say unemployment in heavy construction is 30%  Wow!  Who is doing all that work on Route 2 and the ancillary infrastructure?!

Latourette goes on to mention that he believes jobs saved or created by President Obama's "Stimulus Package," which is H.R. 1The American Recovery and Revestment Act (ARRA), is closer to 1.5 million rather than the 3 million cited by PResident Obama.  Where do President Obama an Rep. Latourette get their numbers?  There is no proof either is correct.

The bottom line is the ARRA has done little to nothing to stimulate Lake County and North East Ohio.  unemployment has gone up.  Also, from the looks of the Appropriations requested by Rep. Latourette (that we are examining) that he has done little to bring federal funds back in a meaningful way.

Steve Latourette: FY 2010 Appropriation Requests

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that we would be taking a close look at U.S. Rep. Steve Latourette's Appropriations requests.  Here we go!

Rep. Latourette's Appropriations requests are broken up into several types.  A full list can be found on his official website.

The first of of nine types of requests is for "Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA, and Related Agencies."  Rep. Latourette made only one request of this type.

Here it is:

Title: The Ohio State University, College of Food, Agriculture, and Environmental Studies 

Address: 100 N. Agricultural Administration Building 2120 Fyfe Road, Columbus, Ohio 43210

Amount: $200,000

Purpose: Funds will be used for the Center for Farmland Policy Innovation in carrying out its work with local communities to develop locally-driven farmland protection policy demonstrations. This project will continue to develop policies and initiatives throughout the State of Ohio, including the valuable nursery and farmland areas in Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula counties. 

What the heck does a "Center for Farmland Policy Innovation do?" My knee jerk reaction is that this is ridiculous:  a waste of money.  From what I can tell this $200, 000 is going to fund an agricultural think tank.

Hypothetically, if Rep Latourette requested funds in this category of appropriation for a study on something useful, say,

1) research on the prevention of the emerald ashbore, an insect decimating ash trees in his Congressional District, or

2)research to figure out the best crop to be used for carbon sequestration (plants sucking up carbon dioxide) so it can be used for a biomass fuel, or

3)research to figure out what other crops can be grown in our climate, or ...you get the drift.

Instead, Rep. Latourette spent $200, 000 on n agricultural think tank.

Oink Oink Oink!