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Sunday, April 05, 2009
By Delen Goldberg
Staff writer
Sen. David Valesky knows what it's like to be in the minority.
That's why, he said, he wanted to spread the wealth when he found out that he would receive a whopping $4.5 million in member-item money this year - an increase of 1,400 percent from last year.
Valesky, D-Oneida, offered three Central New York Republican senators - John DeFrancisco, Michael Nozzolio and Joseph Griffo - $250,000 each from his pot of pork. Member item funding, commonly referred to as pork-barrel spending, is discretionary money that lawmakers can dole out as they choose to organizations and pet causes in their home districts.
Sunday, April 05, 2009
By Delen Goldberg
Staff writer
Sen. David Valesky knows what it's like to be in the minority.
That's why, he said, he wanted to spread the wealth when he found out that he would receive a whopping $4.5 million in member-item money this year - an increase of 1,400 percent from last year.
Valesky, D-Oneida, offered three Central New York Republican senators - John DeFrancisco, Michael Nozzolio and Joseph Griffo - $250,000 each from his pot of pork. Member item funding, commonly referred to as pork-barrel spending, is discretionary money that lawmakers can dole out as they choose to organizations and pet causes in their home districts.
For years I've complained that the Syracuse area doesn't get it's fair share from the State. Then a local politician gets into a position of power and finally the Syracuse area can benefit as a result, only to find out later that this Syracuse area politician doesn't even want to use the state money to help improve the Syracuse area. Backwards is the only word that comes to mind! Only in Syracuse.
Again, it seems like Syracusans fight the very things that will help it the most!
For years I've complained that the Syracuse area doesn't get it's fair share from the State. Then a local politician gets into a position of power and finally the Syracuse area can benefit as a result, only to find out later that this Syracuse area politician doesn't even want to use the state money to help improve the Syracuse area. Backwards is the only word that comes to mind! Only in Syracuse.
Again, it seems like Syracusans fight the very things that will help it the most!
Here is a list of Greater Syracuse recipients of pork money. I'm glad to see $900,000+ was earmarked for economic development, however the MDA has had a pathetic track record. Perhaps the most troubling is that a large portion is going to politically charged social agencies and initiatives such as unions and the "Center for Community Alternatives" which essentially wants to do away with incarcerating the inner city poor in virtually all situations accept the "most" violent offenses.
It appears to me that it's all politically based, both the increase in his allotment being that the dems are currently in power and he's one, and the refusal of the locals to accept. A bit short sighted of them.
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List of Pork Projects
