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CONGRESSMAN JOINS COLUMBIA DEMOCRATS TO ENSURE CITY GETS TAXPAYER BAILOUT
As part of the Columbia’s renewed effort to waste millions of taxpayer dollars in a more transparent fashion, Mayor Bob Coble held a press conference Tuesday to beg for federal stimulus money.
On hand to help ensure the city got as much cash as possible was the new champion for President Barack Obama’s massive spending program, Congressman Gresham Barrett.
“It’s growing the economy through the private sector not the public sector, but there are things the public sector needs to do,” Barrett said at the event. “If there are shovel ready projects ready to go, South Carolina needs to step up to the plate.”
So far, those “shovel ready projects” total $22 million for things like homeless prevention, Community Development Block Grants, and other housing programs. There is also money set aside for an energy efficiency program, bus transportation, and a North Main Street construction boondoggle.
Critics point out that, while these things may do some public good, they will hardly help stimulate the economy. And they certainly won’t create many jobs.
But that didn’t stop Barrett and Coble from demanding that the programs receive stimulus funding.
If it seems strange that Barrett would be fighting for Obama’s stimulus package, though, that’s because it is strange.
As the Indigo Journal pointed out Tuesday, Barrett slammed the stimulus bill when it came before Congress more than two months ago.
“It is my sincere hope that this Stimulus package fails and we in Congress can debate a bill that doesn’t hurt the future of this nation,” Barrett said on Jan. 28.
But that was then, and this is now.
And the “now” Barrett apparently has apparently flip-flopped (again) to support Obama’s stimulus while rubbing elbows with Columbia liberals like Coble and Councilman E.W. Cromartie.
That wasn’t the only odd thing Barrett did in the capital city.
Before he left, the Congressman told The State’s Adam Beam that “he plans to clear out a day in his schedule to come back and take a tour of the city.” That statement didn’t exactly make sense given that Barrett served in Columbia for six years.
Photo: The State
Barrett knows what all the stimulus means. He wants South Carolina to be ” taken care of”. Watch those words though…. example:
“America will take care of it’s old and sick people”- George Bush, 2002 State of the Union Address.
TRANSLATION: We WILL take care of you alright. We will make meds cost more than you can afford. We will mess up Medicare so that it no longer pays your doctors. We have privatized Social Security in your best interests but truly, it’s better if a few end up with all the bucks.
Evaluation: It happened just as he said.
From Andy Brack’s column…
Attorney General Henry McMaster, a Republican: “As a policy matter, because we are going to be taxed to pay all this stimulus money back, we should receive our share and spend it very, very carefully.”
[...] The Palmetto Scoop: Obama’s stimulus gets new champion in Barrett [...]
This could endanger both McMaster snd Barrett in the upcoming Gov. race.
Amen, Mr. Sharpe. This kind of talk makes red necks like me scared to death. Barrette may win the primary, but with talk like that, he will never be gov. God Bless Mark Sanford. – TEA’D
I hope this flip flopper (Barrett and McMaster) is a the Tea Party so we can boo him off the stage.
I plan on voting for anyone who runs against these two RINO’s as long as the aren’t Democrate’s. The problem is its very hard to tell who is who these days.
Sooner or later (sooner I hope) the conservative people must get mad as you know what over this kind of stuff and go to the poles. If we don’t it could soon be too late to turn it around.
Pee’d off red neck.
“I hope this flip flopper (Barrett) is at the Tea Party so we can boo him off the stage.”
Well Jim, it looks like you got your wish!
[...] Barrett’s support of federal stimulus legislation and vote in favor of last year’s massive bank bailout could have something to do with the [...]