Pardon Me – We Paid For What?

By Dannie McIntire

City-County Observer

I’m a conservative and one of my favorite rants is over the lack of concern about our country’s debt. Many of us, while quite adept at maintaining a balanced checkbook, give little thought to the financial plight of our nation. 

One of the most often used methods to determine a nation’s financial health is in its percentage of debt against its gross national product (GDP). The GDP is basically the value of the goods and services produced annually in the country. The Debt-to-GDP ratio gives an insight into a country’s ability to service its outstanding debt. 

Many economists consider a “Debt-to GDP” above 77 percent to be an indication of decreasing economical health. In 2008 our Debt-to GDP was 68 percent, by the end of 2021 it has grown to 124 percent.

Our federal government is spending more money than it brings in, thus increasing the national debt through the borrowing of the money to finance its expenditures. If you ran your personal finances as our federal government does, you would have filed for bankruptcy years ago. Our federal government is basically operating by using a “credit card”. It is estimated our federal government will spend 5 percent of its 2022 budget, approximately  $305 billion dollars, simply paying interest on our national debt, Let that sink in…$305 billion in annual interest payments alone on our national debt…and our national debt continues to grow,  

Our nation has to learn to quit the wasteful spending of its revenues (tax dollars) on frivolous items. You may not agree with the politics of Kentucky senator Rand Paul, however each year he publishes an annual “Festivus” report which details wasteful government spending.

These are just a few examples of wasteful government spending detailed in his 2021 “Festivus” report:  

• In Maryland, Baltimore schools received $1.27 million dollars in Covid relief funds for students who actually were not enrolled. (quite a bit of money for ghost students)
• New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio spent $25 million of taxpayer-funded federal COVID relief dollars to launch the “City Arts Corps,” paying 3,000 artists to publicly display creative works in an effort to “resurge the cultural scene” in the City. (I need to find my crayons and get in on this action)  
• Congress gave the Defense Department $259 million dollars to help countries in the Middle East and North Africa border walls. (What about our own southern border?)
• Partnering with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the United States Embassy in Seoul is allocating up to a $150,000 grant to send ten Koreans aged 15-30 to Washington, D.C. for two weeks to learn about climate change activism. (That’s $15,000 in vacation money for each participant. I wouldn’t mind receiving a share like that for my annual family vacation.) 
• While your kids and millions of American students were locked out of their schools for more than a year during the COVID-19 pandemic, your government has been paying to translate books into the Georgian language for Georgian students who are in the classroom and spending $182,741 to do it. 
• The State Department U.S. Mission to France plans to allocate up to $200,000 to “enhance the understanding of the United States in France. (Say what…I personally could care less what the people of France think of us…we’ve saved their country in two world wars…shouldn’t that give them a good opinion of us)
• The government used $2.4 million taxpayer dollars to create a dinosaur-centric film in 2D and 3D, a 3-episode TV series, a fictional book, and museum exhibits to “inspire” middle school-aged students. The film features dinosaurs in the Antarctic and hopes to “inspire future polar scientists” and “encourage young people to learn about Antarctica. Even if a young aspiring polar scientist wishes to watch the film, entrance to the exhibit is not free! Tickets for one parent and one child to attend run $34, which could give the museums a profit of up to $5.1 million if they ultimately reach 1.5 million of their aspired “millions” of film viewers.
• The National Institutes Of Health (NIH) granted Reed College of Portland, Oregon $465,339 to create a token-based economy where pigeons are taught to gamble with slot machines. (teaching pigeons to gamble – you can’t make this kind of stuff up)
• The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted the 12th Congressional District of California $2.1 million to incentivize residents to remove wood-burning systems and replace them with electric heat pumps. (Wait, doesn’t California suffer from rolling power outages due to overuse of their electrical power grid)
• In January 2021, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) posted a notice proposing to spend $11.3 million to “reduce environmental pollution in targeted areas across Vietnam,” which will include encouraging locals to stop burning their trash”.   
• The U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) is in on the game, spending $3,428,300,000 and 20 years trying and failing to develop an amphibious combat vehicle (ACV) to replace the 40-year-old amphibious assault vehicle (AAV). (almost $3.5 billion spent and no acceptable vehicle….wow)
• The National Institute on Aging (NIA) used nearly $1.3 million in taxpayer dollars over the course of 5 years to study how hearing good or bad news affects your happiness. (Ugh…good news is good….bad news is bad…there…the study is completed)
• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) granted the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo $361,011 in federal funding to study if kids crave junk food and gain weight. (seriously…you need a study to know that junk food is bad?)
• The FDA granted Novatel, a Canadian aquaculture company, $337,500 in taxpayer dollars to fatten and raise juvenile eels to keep costs down for those wishing to eat the fish. (Now I’m trying to recall the last time I enjoyed a delicious meal of eel from Canada)

As I said, the above are just a few examples from Senator Rand Paul’s “2021 Festivus

Report” in which he highlights a whopping  $52,598,515,585 in wasteful federal government spending. You can access his report online but I would recommend that you have a bottle of anti-acid on hand when reading it. 

It is time that we as a voter and taxpayers, demand our elected representatives spend our tax dollars in a responsible manner and begin reducing our National Debt.

Planting Season Is Here; Remain Alert To Large Farm Equipment On Indiana Roads

INDIANA (April 21, 2022) — Planting season is quickly approaching for Indiana’s 94,000 farmers. With the warm weather and sunshine, Hoosier motorists will also see more large slow-moving farm equipment traveling Indiana’s rural roads and highways. The Indiana State Department of Agriculture, Indiana Department of Homeland Security, Indiana Department of Transportation, Indiana State Police and Hoosier Ag Today want to encourage motorists to slow down, be alert and be patient on rural roadways this spring.

“Our farmers have an enormous job to do, feeding us and the rest of the world,” said Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, Secretary of Agriculture. “And with that job comes a tremendous responsibility; let’s help our farmers out where we can. When you see large farm equipment traveling our Hoosier roadways slow down and give them space so everyone can get where they are going safely.”

In Indiana, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2020 three vehicles were involved in crashes with farm equipment, which resulted in two deaths.

“During the spring and fall seasons Indiana sees a drastic increase of large farm equipment on our rural roads and highways,” said Doug Carter, Indiana State Police Superintendent. “In our strong agricultural state, it is critical that Hoosier motorists know the steps to take when approaching farm equipment on the roadways to ensure we all make it home safely to our families.”

While the term “farm equipment” encompasses a wide range of vehicles, the most common types motorists will encounter during planting season include sprayers, tractors pulling planters or tillage equipment, and large trucks hauling agricultural products. These vehicles are wide, sometimes taking up most of the road, and often travel at speeds no greater than 25 mph.

The following list includes several safety tips for motorists approaching large farm equipment:

• Farmers will pull over when they are able to let motorists pass, but it may take time for them to get to a safe place to do so.
• Be patient. Farm equipment is wide, sometimes taking up most of the road.
• Be careful when passing. Do not pass in a designated “No Passing Zone” or within 100 feet of any intersection, railroad grade crossing, bridge, elevation structure or tunnel.
• Do not try to pass slow-moving farm equipment on the left without ensuring that the farmer driving is not planning a left turn. It may appear that the driver is pulling over to allow a pass when the farmer is actually preparing to turn. You will drive right into its path, endangering yourself and the farmer.
• Avoid tailgating, as some farm equipment might have to make sudden stops along the road.
• Allow plenty of time to get to a destination, be aware of alternate routes and avoid distractions.

“Moving farm equipment on the roadways is one of the most dangerous parts of my job. It takes time to find a safe space for me to pull over and allow other motorists to pass safely. Please be considerate when you drive behind farm equipment, drivers and I have the same goal in mind each time we take a trip on Hoosier roads- to get our work done and make it home safely to our loved ones,” said Brent Bible, Tippecanoe Co. farmer.

Indiana State Department of Agriculture Director Bruce Kettler wants to remind motorists farmers work hard to ensure they are being as safe as possible.

“Hoosier farmers are trying to get to their fields safely and quickly, just like our Hoosier motorists are trying to get to work safely and quickly,” said Kettler. “I want to encourage motorists to be aware during this spring season and know that encountering farm equipment is likely and to slow down when approaching.”

For a list of safety tips, click here or visit isda.in.gov. The following organizations will be working together to share this important safety message during planting season: Hoosier Ag Today, Indiana Department of Homeland Security, Indiana Department of Transportation and Indiana State Police.

Click here for a public service announcement created by Hoosier Ag Today. Listen to the PSA by tuning into Hoosier Ag Today radio stations. To find a local broadcasting station, click here.