Posted on 08/10/2007 1:03:58 PM PDT by Born Conservative
At least seven people died, and he voted for the aid.
But that didn’t stop U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski from suggesting Minnesota is trying to “screw” the rest of the country out of federal funding for its collapsed Interstate bridge, generating a firestorm among political bloggers.
Comments the Nanticoke Democrat made Tuesday at a regional economic forum at the University of Scranton were posted on political Web logs, or “blogs,” touching off the controversy.
“His comments are grossly inappropriate. He needs to apologize to the victims’ families for his rude comments,” a contributor wrote on one Web site.
During his remarks, Mr. Kanjorski noted Congress last weekend approved $250 million for Minneapolis’s recovery and to rebuild the bridge, waiving the $100 million federal limit for emergency relief funds to individual states.
He characterized the approval as a revenue grab and said Minnesota elected officials were “taking all they could get” from the federal government.
Mr. Kanjorski, who had voted for the special outlay, called the approval a “knee-jerk reaction” and said Congress needs to cover “legitimate expenses” and “get off this charge-account mentality.”
He was en route to New Mexico on Thursday and could not be reached. But Karen Feather, his chief of staff, said, “The congressman regrets his language. ... He said, ‘I should have used different words.’”
Mr. Kanjorski was frustrated the estimate for bridge and infrastructure work related to the tragedy ballooned from $100 million to $250 million, Ms. Feather said.
At the forum, Mr. Kanjorski said: “They discovered they were going to get all the money from the federal government and they were taking all they could get” and used the tragedy “to screw us.”
Bloggers have jumped all over the longtime Congressman.
“Has the Congressman got both oars in the water? Now I know why the country is in the state it’s in, one of our (I assume) elected officials thinks helping Americans in need can be classified as “screwing us.” a post on another site reads.
“You can be sure if the bridge was one over the Susquehanna River in Kanjorski’s town he would be right up there seeking funds. What a joke,” a third reads.
Ms. Feather said Mr. Kanjorski was addressing a funding issue and did not intend to convey a cold-hearted attitude during his remarks.
“I don’t think he was trying in any way to be unsympathetic to the people of Minnesota,” she said.
Jeremy Hanson, spokesman for Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, said an estimate on the bridge repair and associated infrastructure costs has not been determined.
“We don’t know what the costs will be,” Mr. Hanson said.
Pressed for a reaction to Mr. Kanjorski’s remarks, Mr. Hanson responded, “We’re glad that he joined all the members of Congress in supporting this.”
Efforts to reach U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, a Democrat who represents Minneapolis in the House of Representatives, were unsuccessful.
Not unlike the billions Blanco and Nagin stole from the nation’s taxpayers under the Katrina money-grab.
Basically I think he’s right.
But the problem is with the Feds not reading the Constitution.
But, since the Feds already created the Interstate so the Constitution is moot, it can be argued they should give money.
They just shouldn’t have to shell out tons. And this is beyond the alleged cap?
Before we look at increasing anything, I’d like to know what they do with the gas taxes they collect now.
my neighbor is from minnesota,
and that’s how she thinks.
she is a leftist
I wouldn't post the "ignorant" accusations when it's obvious you don't get out much.
Here's a link easily found by even fact-challenged slammers to point to just one factual description of the fraud I mentioned in the Katrina-ripoff of U.S. taxpayers (my original point which you assailed).
Go back to DU and the daily KOS for your facts.....
http://www.usdoj.gov/katrina/Katrina_Fraud/pr/testimony/2006/may/AliceFisher_testimony051106.pdf
Don't bother responding....I only reply to LUCID posts.
bttt
Just goes to show you that there's never enough money available to have a liberal plan suceed because liberal plans are just that bad.
How much Transportion Fund road and bridge funding for Minnesota was actually spent for other projects like bike paths, light rail, etc?
Bump
The costs will be whatever you can screw out of the taxpayers.
Clinton asked Bush for $10 billion. Bush offered her $20 billion. Bush is more of a big government/big spender than most in Congress.
This is like “conveyance taxes” collected from home purchases - increasing the cost of housing - for the purpose of “affordable housing” being deposited into the general fund and used to buy votes from special interest groups. Our government is almost as broken as our judicial system. Is there any hope for us or should we bring in Hugo Chavez and get it over sooner rather than later?
Wow!!! I can’t believe this guy is a Democrat.
How much have we given to NOLA?
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