Change and Transparency

How often did we hear about "change" and "transparency" from Obama leading up to the 2008 election? And while he promised both, and many sorry saps fell for it, it looks like he will deliver on neither.

Despite his promise that the stimulus plan would be transparent and free of politics, it appears that once again special interests and lobbying groups will be the ones who benefit. According to this AP article (click link to read):

•A sleepy Montana checkpoint along the Canadian border that sees about three travelers a day will get $15 million under President Barack Obama's economic stimulus plan. A government priority list ranked the project as marginal, but two powerful Democratic senators persuaded the administration to make it happen.

• A border station in Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano's home state of Arizona is getting $199 million, five times more than any other border station. The busy Nogales checkpoint has required repairs for years but was not rated among the neediest projects on the master list reviewed by the AP. Napolitano credited her lobbying as Arizona governor for getting the project near the front of the line for funding under the Bush administration. All it needed was money, which the stimulus provided.

• A checkpoint in Laredo, Texas, which serves more than 55,000 travelers and 4,200 trucks a day, is rated among the government's highest priorities but was passed over for stimulus money.

• The Westhope, N.D., checkpoint, which serves about 73 people a day and is among the lowest-priority projects, is set to get nearly $15 million for renovations.

• Whitetail project, which involves building a border station the size and cost of a Hollywood mansion, benefited from two key allies, Montana Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester. Both pressed Napolitano to finance projects in their state. Tester's office boasted of that effort in an April news release, crediting Baucus and his seat at the head of the "powerful Senate Finance Committee."


Unfortunately the only response any Democrat would have for this is the old "Bush did it too." My pointing this out has nothing to do with Democrat v. Republican. It's that all politicians are more interested in the rich lobbying groups than those who vote them in. Yes, even your precious Democrats who are "for the people." And even your precious Obama, who many believed was different, and that he would bring "change." Looks like politics as usual, in the White House. Except this time it's gonna triple the debt.