Keith Ashdown
Keith Ashdown
anyone iraq money people precedent presence watching
Our Iraq presence isn't going away; the only thing going away is the people watching how the money is being spent. If you don't have anyone watching it, the precedent is that the money will be wasted.
business people
We need to get out of the business of subsidizing people who are in harm's way.
people protecting supposed victims
We're supposed to be protecting the victims of the storms, not the people insuring them.
cost feeling kicked people percentage thousands
There could be a loophole of hundreds of thousands of people who would not be impacted. On a percentage of their income, they're the ones that are feeling (the cost increase) a lot, lot more. Some of us have been kicked, but they've been kicked in the teeth.
almost bottom cost cut expensive final local money needs paying people pyramid
It's trickle-down contracting: You're paying a cut at every level, and it makes the final cost exponentially more expensive than it needs to be. And in almost every case, the local people who really need to be making the money are at the bottom of these upside-down pyramid schemes.
almost bottom local money people pyramid
And in almost every case, the local people who really need to be making the money are at the bottom of these upside-down pyramid schemes.
budgetary easy federal fights footprint gorilla hard item known limit tick
We've known for years that there are some easy things on paper. But it's politically hard to limit the budgetary footprint of the federal government. Any item you try and cut, you're going to tick off an 800-pound gorilla that fights with a sledgehammer.
congress gorilla happen major nobody program protecting talking
The only thing I think can happen is that (Congress enacts) a very large, across-the-board cut, ... and nobody is talking about that. Every major program has an 800-pound gorilla protecting it.
learn money months stolen wasted
We will learn months after the money was wasted or stolen that it was wasted and stolen.
disease preventing symptom tools troops
Those 2,966 earmarks are a symptom of a disease that is preventing our troops from getting the tools they need.
backyard considered fund gas industry items members oil powerful slush worst
We considered it one of the worst items in the bill. It's a slush fund for the oil and gas industry that would have been in the backyard of one of the more powerful members in Congress.
contention costs cut deficit derived five half hopes including inevitable itself large likely next proposals tall
With all these new programs, the administration's contention that the deficit will be cut in half in the next five years is a tall tale, derived in large part by omitting very likely or inevitable costs, including costs for proposals the administration itself hopes and intends to support.
businesses happens runs thousands type yard
There are probably thousands of businesses that need this type of help, but this happens to be in the back yard of the lawmaker who runs the subcommittee.
hearings next sets stage
This sets the stage for some very, very interesting hearings next week.