Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on July 15, 2009

Stand strong, Sen. Kyl. Arizonans don’t want this second pork-ridden, wasteful monstrosity any more than they wanted the first non-stimulus package. Stand strong, and other states will follow your lead against these Chicago-style bullies. United, we can keep Son of Porkulus from hatching from its rotten egg.

Isn’t Porkulus I, and the proposed Porkulus II, TAXPAYERS’ money? When did it magically become Obama’s own money to give or withhold based on his druthers, like he’s Daddy Warbucks? And, are his threats to withhold federal assistance just from the state of Arizona even legal?

Jake Tapper, Political Punch, ABC News:

ABC News | “Thinly-Veiled Threats”? White House Suggests Arizona Republicans Put Up or Shut Up
By Jake Tapper
July 14, 2009

In a coordinated response to comments made by an Arizona Republican senator calling for a the stimulus bill to be halted, the Obama administration this week coordinated a series of letters to the governor of Arizona, with the implicit message: put up or shut up.

Arizona Republicans responded that the White House was bullying their state.

On This Week with George Stephanopoulos on Sunday, Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., said of the $787 billion stimulus package, “the reality is it hasn’t helped yet. Only about 6.8 percent of the money has actually been spent. What I proposed is, after you complete the contracts that are already committed, the things that are in the pipeline, stop it.”

A day later, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer received letters from Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar all pointing out the billions headed to Arizona.

Kyl “publicly questioned whether the stimulus is working and stated that he wants to cancel projects that aren’t presently underway,” LaHood wrote to Brewer, a Republican. “I believe the stimulus has been very effective in creating job opportunities throughout the country. However, if you prefer to forfeit the money we are making available to your state, as Senator Kyl suggests, please let me know.”

[...]

Kyl said that “It’s unfortunate that President Obama and his administration seem unwilling to debate the merits of the stimulus bill and acknowledge its shortcomings. Instead, they have resorted to coordinated political attacks with the Democratic National Committee and the politicization of departments of government by using cabinet secretaries to issue thinly veiled threats to the governor and the people of Arizona.”

From Hot Air, Nice State You Got There, Kyl:

Barack Obama and his administration don’t mind playing hardball on the stimulus package, as Jake Tapper reports. Yesterday, Senator Jon Kyl suggested that not only should Congress refuse to consider a second stimulus package, they should bring the current Porkulus to a halt before it wastes even more money. Rather than make a reasoned argument for their stimulus package, however, the White House threatened to choke Arizona’s federal funds in retaliation.

[...]

Talk about an empty threat! The Obama administration encouraged South Carolina’s legislature to take Governor Mark Sanford to court to force him to accept Porkulus funds. Now they want to posture with Arizonans that criticism of their fiscal policies will result in punitive action against Arizona alone. I guess the Democrats don’t plan to compete for Arizona’s electoral votes in 2012.

Their logic could use some assistance as well. LaHood notes that of the $48 billion in infrastructure spending in the bill, Arizona will eventually get $520 million. First, a quick calculation shows that as somewhat less than 1/50th (or 1/57th) of the funds, meaning Arizonans won’t get the same share as other states. Also, I’m not sure if anyone at the White House realizes this quite yet, but all of that money comes from Arizona in the first place — and taxpayers all over the nation. They’re not promising some vast new wealth; they’re promising to return our money back to ourselves, with a hefty chunk of it removed to pay for the bureaucrats that manage it.

This does demonstrate quite nicely the problem with an overreaching federal government, and especially an overreaching executive branch. It sucks money out of the states, and then it plays favorites on returning some percentage to them. That’s not new to the Obama administration, but they seem pretty cavalier about letting their extortion show.

From St. Louis Tea Party: Obama’s Contempt for Rule of Law:

On the heals of Obama’s support for a Marxist dictator above the rule of law in Honduras, his long-held contempt for the US Constitution and its emphasis on “negative rights,” and his confiscation of General Motors, Citigroup, and other other businesses and banks, it’s safe to say that if America remains a republic, it’s of the banana variety.

Additional:
The Anchoress, First Things: The difference goes beyond the pitch
Hot Air: Boehner to Emanuel: Hey, thanks for “rescuing” the economy and Biden: We must bankrupt the country to avoid bankrupting it and What top-tier economists use to analyze success and Obama on stimulus: It’s worked great! and Obama staffers exhausted from grueling work of wasting trillions of dollars and White House: We’ll cut off criticism of Porkulus and Obama, the reverse Reagan and Video: The self-promotion stimulus and Stimulus fizzle has Democrats worried and Big banks saying no to California IOUs and Rasmussen “passion index” down to -8
Mere Rhetoric: WaPo: Obama Staffers The Bestest And Diligentest Staffers Ever. Especially That Gibbs Guy. He’s Super.
The Iowa Independent: Culver: Second federal stimulus not needed in Iowa
The Washington Times: GOP hits Pelosi for mouse funds
Innocent Bystanders: The Stimulus Package that Forgot to Stimulate Anything
PJTV: Bill Whittle, Scott Ott, Stephen Green: Does Obama Have A Different Copy of the Constitution Than The Rest of Us? (video)
John Nolte, Big Hollywood: Turnabout: ‘Transformers 2′ Takes a Shot at President Obama?
New York Times: Doubts About Obama’s Economic Recovery Plan Rise Along With Unemployment
Fire Andrea Mitchell!: Obama admin now threatening Arizona/John Kyl and Wells Fargo sues………. ITSELF!
Joseph Farah, World Net Daily: How little we know about Obama
Washington Examiner: White House split on second stimulus
Jeffrey Jena, Big Hollywood: Asking the Spirit of Reagan for Help
MoneyNews.com: $1 Trillion Later, What Does Obama Have to Show? Nothing
Jim Blazsik: The real reason behind the economic meltdown – government (particularly Democrats)
Barack’s Economic Plan – the people giveth, and the government taketh away…
Gateway Pundit: Unreal. With Unemployment at 9.5% Obama Says Stimulus Is Working
Rasmussen Reports: Most Texas Voters Say Economy is Bad, Getting Worse
Michelle Malkin: Grim milestone: Budget deficit hits $1 trillion and Your TARP dollars at work and Sen. Coburn: Our Watchdog and Spawn of the Spendulus Updated and Document drop: Porkulus One is a failure, so let’s do it again! and Bailoutmania: Not “permanent.” Just forever… and Tim Geithner is a joke in China, too and Feds extend Crap Sandwich to life insurers and The Colin Powell endorsement: Triumph of hope over reality and White House pushing to gag stimulus critics and Cap and trade regulations: Do you trust this man?
The American Pundit: Poor Babies: Obama Staffers Exhausted by the Stress of Wasting Money
Neoavatara: Failure You Can Believe In: Obama Stimulus II
My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy: Stimulus fallout
Hot Air Green Room: Zero Percent Unemployment – Now! and CNN Creates Misleading Headlines to Save Obama’s Credibility
Huffington Post: Obama Ineffective On The Economy: NYT/CBS News Poll
Scared Monkeys: Colin Powell Suddenly has Doubts on Obama Agenda … Americans Like Taxes … Can’t Afford Taxes
New York Times: Obama Poll Sees Doubt on Budget and Health Care
Democratic Underground Headline: In Poll, Obama Is Seen as Ineffective on the Economy
Random-American: Biden says ‘everyone guessed wrong’ on the economic stimulus
Jim Geraghty, NRO: BARACK OBAMA, HORSERACE: Obama’s Approval Rating in Ohio Down to 49 Percent; 44 Percent Disapprove
Gateway Pundit: Palin Calls Obama’s Massive Spending & Economic Policies “Immoral”
The K Ryan James Blog: Hopenchange: A transparent lack of transparency
Stop The ACLU: Obama Tanks In Ohio
Gunservatively!: Son-of-a-Stimulus!
Wall Street Journal: Calls Grow to Increase Stimulus Spending
Right Pundits: Steny Hoyer: Second Stimulus Possible
America’s Watchtower: Obama Adviser Pushes For a Second Stimulus Bill
VotingFemale Speaks!: Obama Brass Knuckles Tactics; The Thug-In-Chief to CBO and Blue Dogs: you’ll be political road kill under my Thug-Bus and Obama Hogzilla Stimulus Bill failed; Congress is scared; Senate hits brakes on Cap and Trade; Obama Distracted and Losing Traction
Right Pundits: Steny Hoyer: Second Stimulus Possible
The American Pundit: The Hypocritical Incompetence of Congress
Frugal Café Blog Zone: Majority of Americans Demand ‘Cancel the Porkulus Package Now’ and No More ‘Stimulus’ Packages: 60% of Americans Loudly Oppose Second Stimulus and Where’s the Money, Obama?? Coburn Reveals 100 Instances of Gov’t Waste of Stimulus Package Money and Rep. Alan Grayson: Who Is Responsible for Monitoring the Losses Incurred by the Federal Reserve?
Michael Barone, Rasmussen Reports: Getting Cold Feet Over Democratic Proposals
La Shawn Barber’s Corner: Why Barack Obama is Overrated (from 2006)
Confederate Yankee: “The Obama Administration is the Most Fiscally Irresponsible in the History of the U.S.”

Categories: Conservatism, Economy, Government, Law & Constitution, Media & Communication, Social and Political Climate
Tags: Arizona, Chicago, citizens against government waste, Congress, earmarks, economic depression, economic free-fall, economy, Obama, Obama money, political, politics, pork barrel spending, porkulus, POTUS, recession, Sen. Jon Kyl, stimulus bill, taxation, taxes, taxpayers, tea parties, tea party, White House