It would be really nice to have people in Congress who understand basic budgeting. If you have the money to buy something, it’s okay to buy it. If you don’t have the money to buy something, it isn’t okay to buy it. It’s called fiscal responsibility.<\/p>\n
On August 5th, The Federalist<\/a> posted an article detailing how some of our taxpayer money is being spent.<\/p>\n The article reports:<\/p>\n With its July 22 announcement<\/a> that it is disbursing $4.3 billion in taxpayer-funded grants for an assortment of climate projects around the country, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) secured the loot for grateful recipients before President Joe Biden leaves office in January.<\/strong><\/p>\n The money will go to 25 projects across 30 states (some will cross state borders) and will target greenhouse gas emissions from \u201ctransportation, electric power, commercial and residential buildings, industry, agriculture\/natural and working lands, and waste and materials management,\u201d the EPA said in a press release<\/a>.\u00a0Funds for the grants were provided from the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants Program anchored in the 2022 misnamed Inflation Reduction Act, the Biden administration\u2019s landmark climate law.<\/strong><\/p>\n That was the law that Joe Manchin said he would not vote for and was bribed to vote for with some concessions on fossil fuel exploration that were later reneged on.<\/p>\n The article lists some of the people receiving taxpayer dollars:<\/p>\n Among the projects receiving the federal largesse are statewide decarbonization initiatives in Pennsylvania targeting cement, asphalt, and other materials; $307 million for measures in Nebraska to promote \u201cclimate smart\u201d practices ostensibly to reduce emissions from agriculture and waste; and an effort to install EV chargers for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles along a highway on the East Coast.<\/strong><\/p>\n An air management district in Southern California will receive $500 million to help decarbonize the region\u2019s transportation and freight sectors, including at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. EPA\u2019s grants to the region will provide funding for \u201celectric charging equipment, zero-emission freight vehicles and conversion of cargo handling equipment to lower emissions.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n The article concludes:<\/p>\n The ruling class repeatedly claims to protect the masses from whatever \u201cexistential threat\u201d suits their purposes. Time and again, their follies blow up \u2014 usually not in their faces, but in the faces of ordinary people who bear the brunt of their hubris. The billions EPA is spreading around will have no effect on the climate, but it will ensure more precious resources are wasted.<\/strong><\/p>\n I agree.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It would be really nice to have people in Congress who understand basic budgeting. If you have the money to buy something, it’s okay to buy it. If you don’t have the money to buy something, it isn’t okay to … Continue reading