In Blocking 9/11 Memorial, Charles Taylor Claims Fiscal Restraint

Congressman Charles Taylor continues to single-handedly block spending for a memorial for Flight 93 patriots who died on 9/11.

"Taylor, as chairman of the Appropriations subcommittee that oversees the Interior Department, has blocked millions in funding for the project in the last two years and has expressed opposition to funding it when it comes up again before his committee May 3, said John Scofield, the House Appropriations Committee spokesman. 'This man is not being a very good American,' said Virginia Bradshaw, who lives in Banner Elk in Avery County. Bradshaw lost her daughter-in-law, Sandy Bradshaw, a flight attendant on United Airlines Flight 93. Like Taylor, she is a Republican, but said the Western North Carolina congressman's actions 'make my blood boil.'"[Asheville Citizen-Times, 4/26/2006]

"Congressman Charles Taylor has spent the last 16 years in Congress backing all sorts of questionable funding, but he's decided to stand alone against funding a Flight 93 memorial," said North Carolina Democratic Chair Jerry Meek. "Once again, Charles Taylor's values are out-of-step with Western North Carolina."

So, what funding does Charles Taylor support?

The Road to Nowhere: "[Taylor] favors building the North Shore Road in Swain County at an estimated cost of $590 million. A 1943 federal agreement called for construction of the road along the north shore of Fontana Lake through a remote portion of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but only a portion of the road was ever built. Critics favor a much cheaper cash settlement." [Asheville Citizen-Times, 4/26/2006]

Taylor Voted For Final $40 Billion Budget Cut Bill That Saved HMOs $22 Billion. In 2005, Taylor voted for the conference agreement to cut mandatory spending programs by $39.7 billion over the next five years. Due to the billions of dollars in tax cuts passed separately, the budget reconciliation package would increase the deficit. The measure cut nearly $13 billion from federal student loan programs, $7 billion from Medicaid that included increased cost-sharing and premiums for the poor, $1.5 billion from child support enforcement and $2.7 billion from initiatives that help the nation's farmers. The bill also repealed a program - known as the Byrd amendment - that helped local employers injured by unfair trade. The measure did not touch a $5 billion HMO slush fund established by the 2003 Medicare bill, and after intense lobbying from the health insurance industry, the budget saved HMOs $22 billion dollars by maintaining Medicare reimbursement formulas that favored the industry. [HRS 653 , Vote #4, 2/1/2006; Passed 216-214; R 216-13; D 0-200; I 0-1; House Budget Committee Minority Staff, "Key Provisions in the Conference Report on the Republican Spending Reconciliation Bill." 12/19/05; CQ Today, 2/1/06; Washington Post, 2/1/06]

Taylor Voted for Final Energy Bill that Gave Billions to Oil, Gas and Nuclear Industries. In 2005, Taylor vote for the energy conference report that exempts oil and gas industries from some clean-water laws, streamlines permits for oil wells and power lines on public lands, and helps the hydropower industry appeal environmental restrictions. One obscure provision would repeal a Depression-era law that has prevented consolidation of public utilities, potentially transforming the nation's electricity markets. It also includes an estimated $85 billion worth of subsidies and tax breaks for most forms of energy -- including oil and gas, "clean coal," ethanol, electricity, and solar and wind power. The bill included $2 billion for "risk insurance" in case new nuclear plants run into construction and licensing delays. And nuclear utilities will be eligible for taxpayer-backed loan guarantees of as much as 80 percent the cost of their plants. The bill passed, 275-156. [HR 6 , Vote #445, 7/28/2005; Passed 275-156; R 200-31; D 75-124; I 0-1; Washington Post, 7/30/05]

Taylor Voted to Spend $21 Billion on Other Countries. In 2005, Taylor voted for the final version of the foreign aid appropriations bill. The legislation appropriated $21 billion on foreign aid and export assistance. [H.R. 3057, Vote #569, 11/4/05; CQ House Action Reports]

Taylor Voted for Bridge to Nowhere. In 2005, Taylor voted for final passage of the highway funding bill that included $230 million for the infamous "Bridge to Nowhere" connecting Gravina Island (population: 50) with the Alaskan mainland. [H.R. 3, Vote #453, 7/29/05; Citizens Against Government Waste, www.cwag.org]

The fiscal 2006 Interior Appropriations Act is similar to its predecessors, with the addition of funding for the Environmental Protection Agency. One of most recognizable agencies in this bill is the National Park Service (NPS), a.k.a. "the National Pork Service." In March 2005, the Congressional Research Service cited $9.7 billion worth of maintenance backlogged at national parks. That didn't stop appropriators from adding $136 million in pork for the NPS. Total pork for the Interior bill was $669.5 million dispersed among 737 projects.

$47,326,000 for projects in the state of Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee member Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), including: $12,733,000 for Western Arctic Parklands; $7,000,000 for Alaska conveyance; $4,000,000 for a visitors center at the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge; $1,100,000 for the Matunuska-Susitna Borough; $750,000 for the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park; $450,000 for the Bering Sea Fisherman's Association; $400,000 for the Ketchikan Wood Technology Center; $150,000 for the Alaska Whaling Commission; and $98,000 for the Alaska Sea Otter Commission.

Millions for Sen. Conrad Burns, who, like Taylor, is mixed up in the Jack Abramoff scandal:

$31,720,000 for projects in the state of Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Conrad Burns (R-Mont.), including: $6,000,000 for the Blackfoot River Community Project in the Helena and Lolo National Forests; $3,000,000 for land acquisition in Swan Valley, Flathead National Forest; $1,500,000 for the Salish and Kootenai College Information Technology Program; $1,000,000 for an air quality improvement program in Lincoln County; $400,000 for the Carnegie Library building in Missoula (As part of their private fundraising, "All donors making gifts of $5,000 and above will be included in a donor recognition wall, most likely located in the Grand Foyer."); and $150,000 for the Anaconda-Deer Lodge Courthouse.

$17,577,000 for projects in the state of Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) and the district of House appropriator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), including: $2,000,000 for wastewater system rehabilitation for the West Rankin Water Authority; $1,000,000 for the Delta Interpretive Center; $1,000,000 for Smith County Lake; $900,000 for the Center for Marine Resources; $500,000 for a regional wastewater program in DeSoto County; $225,000 for the Hinds County Courthouse; and $100,000 for the Ocean Springs Community Center.

$13,950,000 for projects in the state of Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee member Robert Bennett (R-Utah), including: $4,000,000 for the Utah Public Lands Artifact Preservation Act; $1,500,000 for the Bonneville Shoreline Trail; $750,000 for the Range Creek/Rainbow Glass Ranch; $500,000 for a wastewater treatment plant in Eagle Mountain; and $300,000 for wastewater infrastructure improvements for Judge Tunnel in Park City.

$10,900,000 for projects in the state of Senate appropriator Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), including: $3,700,000 for land acquisition at Haleakala National Park; $3,400,000 for the Wao Kele o Puna rain forest (In a letter to legislators, the president of Malama O Puna, a Hawaii nonprofit environmental group, urged that federal money be spent on the project: "On behalf of all our members, the birds who cannot speak for themselves, and generations yet to come, I thank you for your staunch support."); $600,000 for the Native Hawaiian Culture and Arts Program; and $450,000 for water monitoring.

$6,950,000 for projects in the state of Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee member Larry Craig (R-Idaho), including: $1,500,000 for land acquisition at Upper Snake/South Fork Snake River; $1,000,000 for land acquisition at Thunder Mountain in the Payette National Forest; and $300,000 for the University of Idaho Mica Creek study. According to the University of Idaho, "The Mica Creek Experimental Watershed is a paired and nested catchment study basin, privately operated by Potlatch Corporation." According to its website, Potlatch is "a diversified forest products company with 1.5 million acres of timberland and 4,000 employees in the United States," with $1.35 billion in net sales in 2004.

$4,500,000 for the Katahdin Iron Works in Maine. This company operated in Maine between 1843 and 1890. According to Mainerec.com, "Although isolated, it was tied closely to outside markets and technological advances in the iron industry. Its beginnings, for example, paralleled a growing demand for iron farm tools, machinery and railroad car wheels. In the end, the iron works failed when huge mills in Pennsylvania brought the nation's new age of steel." According to The Wilderness Society, "The project also features new recreational amenities such as trails, water access points and backcountry facilities that will help bring new visitors to the region."

$350,000 added by the Senate for the Chicago Greenstreets Program in the state of Senate appropriator Richard Durbin (D-Ill.). According to a participant in the program, Moore Landscapes, Inc., "The City of Chicago's Greenstreets Program included the design, installation, and maintenance of over 950 hanging baskets this summer. This newly added feature, overflowing with splashes of vivid color and delicate foliage provide a welcoming touch to the streets of Chicago."

The National Park Service (NPS) administers the Save America's Treasures program for "preservation and/or conservation work on nationally significant intellectual and cultural artifacts and historic structures and sites." NPS explicitly says that "Grants are awarded to Federal, state, local, and tribal government entities, and non-profit organizations through a competitive matching-grant program,..." NPS requested $15,000,000 for the competitive program, and Congress increased that by 112 percent, or $16,750,000, all of which was earmarked and added in conference.

$400,000 for the Kam Wah Chung & Company Museum in John Day, Oregon. The museum is dedicated to the work of two Chinese immigrants, Lung On and Ing "Doc" Hay. Admission to the museum is $3 for adults, $2.50 for seniors, and $1.50 for students. An estimated 3,000 people visit the museum each year. According to the museum's website, "Other fund-raising goals the Friends Group has identified include: Acquiring a support building near the Museum to serve as a visitor, education and interpretive center, and to house the Curator's office. To do this, we anticipate the need to raise approximately $40,000 in the next two years." By this estimate, the federal contribution could support the construction of 10 buildings.

$250,000 for the Stanley Theater in Utica, New York. According to the theater's website, "Every ticket sold to a Stanley event includes $2 to help pay for the continued restoration of this magnificent showplace. Major funding has also come from the Natural Heritage Trust of the State of New York, the County of Oneida, the City of Utica and many private sources." Don't forget Uncle Sam.

$150,000 for the Bulgarian-Macedonian National Education and Cultural Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. According to its website, "The Bulgarian-Macedonian National Educational And Cultural Center is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1995. Its mission is to preserve, perpetuate and present the rich cultural heritage of the Bulgarian and Macedonian people. The BMNECC is projected as a 'must see' tourist attraction in the Pittsburgh area in which will be contained both permanent and revolving cultural exhibits and a Performing Arts Center as well as an efficient and attractive Museum, Library and Archives." We'll wait for the movie.

$150,000 for the Actors Theater in Louisville, Kentucky, in the district of House appropriator Anne Northup (R-Ky.). Founded in 1964 and designated as the Kentucky State Theater in 1974, the theater's mission is to provide "insight into the human experience through live theatre that invigorates minds and emotions... We will build a better community by bringing people together to participate in the power of collective imagination." One of the theater's productions is called Bad Date, in which "a feisty single mom relocates to the big city, finds a new career and jumps back into the shark-infested dating pool only to find herself on the wrong side of the law...the hilarious and unforgettable story of one woman's love life, her anticipation of (and recovery from) each new date and the fabulous shoe collection that saves her every time!"