« DEBKA: American Investors to Leave Bahrain | Main | Jihad at an Iranian Soccer Match »

$21 Billion Bribe - Rangel Admits It

I know it is a little late but I thought it necessary to post.  Here is a look at what it cost to buy the votes to pass the Iraqi supplemental bill.

Aquaculture Operations: Provides $5 million for payments to "aquaculture operations and other persons in the U.S. engaged in the business of breeding, rearing, or transporting live fish" (such as shellfish, oysters and clams) to cover economic losses incurred as a result of an emergency order issued by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service on October 24, 2006.

Spinach: Provides $25 million for payments to spinach producers that were unable to market spinach crops as a result of the FDA Public Health Advisory issued on September 14, 2006.

Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) Program: Provides $283 million for payments under the MILC program, to extend the life of the program for one year, through September 30, 2008. MILC provides payments to dairy farmers when milk prices fall below a certain rate.

Peanut Storage Subsidies: Provides $74 million to extend peanut storage payments through 2007. The Peanut Subsidy Storage program, which is set to expire this year, pays farmers for the storage, handling, and other costs for peanuts voluntarily placed in the marketing loan program.

Tax Increases and Shifts: Implements several tax increases and shifts, including: denying the lowest maximum capital gains tax rate for certain minors and adults, extending the suspension of interest payments due to the IRS, and adjusting the deadlines for corporate estimated tax payments. Costs taxpayers $1.380 billion over the FY2007-FY2017 period.

The bill includes $21 billion completely unrelated to the Iraq War or Afghanistan, and Pelosi stood there with a broad smile calling this a victory.  I suppose they'll be celebrating at their well funded convention.

**Update**  And now Charlie Rangel admits it was a bribe.  Via Hot Air.

TrackBack

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://thebrokenchair.com/blog-mt/mt-tb.fcgi/233

Comments

I am not entirely sure why you are so peeved? Seems to me that while we are giving money towards the Theatres of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, we are also benefitting americans right here on the continental US. What is left unsaid in your post is that republicans in office readily agreed to these demands without so much as a revision, implying that they got off relatively cheap and that some defense contractors stand to make a pretty penny.

Why waste time with revisions when the bill will be vetoed and the bribes will still be there for everyone to see.

I think its in the democrats favor that the bill gets vetoed with the "bribes" included, its shows their constituents that they are both pro-war and pro-america. Its a win win situation for them.

yeah cause spinach farmers need $25 million...looks real good.

Post a comment

(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)