Pork Article and Rebuttal

Links to Congressman Portman's Pulse Journal article and Porkopolis' Letter to the Editor Response:

Portman's article:
A good start to begin reducing America's budget deficit

Update: The Pulse Journal appears to have removed the article above, but the text of Portman's letter can be found in this press release from his web site:

TIME TO REDUCE THE DEFICIT

Porkopolis' Rebuttal:
Portman's Actions Speak More Than Words

Update 2: Some readers have pointed out that The Pulse Journal removed the letter to the editor from their web site as well. The letter is reprinted here for future reference:

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Dear Editor and Neighbors:

The February 17, 2005 edition of the Pulse-Journal published an article from Congressman Rob Portman entitled “A good start to begin reducing America’s budget deficit”. In it Mr. Portman says, “...in order to control deficits, we must rein in federal spending....As I work with my colleagues to craft a sound budget that addresses our most pressing needs while cutting wasteful spending, I will rely on the fiscally conservative philosophies we share here in Southern Ohio.”

Which is why I was surprised to learn that Mr. Portman voted for a provision in the 2003 Omnibus Spending bill that directed the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture to treat the City of Portsmouth, Ohio as a rural area for federal grant considerations. The specific language in the law (H.R. 2673) is a follows:” SEC. 728. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary shall consider... the City of Portsmouth, Ohio... as meeting the eligibility requirements for loans and grants programs in the Rural Development mission area. “

That’s ‘Notwithstanding’ as in ‘No matter what the law is currently’. This special designation was contrary to the Department’s own guidelines for cities the size of Portsmouth. Mr. Portman’s support for this provision is not exactly “the fiscally conservative philosophies we share here in Southern Ohio.”

Due to space limitations for this letter, it’s not possible detail the specifics here. However, the watchdog Weblog Porkopolis (http://porkopolis.blogspot.com) is documenting Mr. Portman’s ‘pulling of the wool over our collective eyes’. There you will find a series of posts on federal pork barrel spending in the City of Portsmouth, Ohio that were initiated by our ‘fiscally conservative’ congressman.

If, like me, you feel that Mr. Portman’s words on fiscal responsibility ring hollow, you can contact him at his D.C. office at 202-225-3164 or at his Cincinnati office is 513-791-0381. His email address is portmail@mail.house.gov .


Mario Delgado
Maineville, Ohio

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