Gerlach's earmarks

[Jelanen]

So I'm finishing up graduate school this spring and I'm going to start getting more involved in local politics. I am a pretty strong conservative and I've been very frustrated by the Republican party for the last several years as they've run up government spending and earmarks (and then wonder why they got drummed out of office). I decided this will be my opening salvo and I present US Rep. Jim Gerlach's earmarks from the 2009 Omnibus spending bill.

Jim Gerlach (R-PA)
Total earmarks - $107,789,000

Agriculture - $42,000
Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (Rodale Institute) Wyndmoor, PA $42,000

Commerce/Science/Criminal Justice - $1,400,000
Reading Police K9 Unit (Berks County Community Foundation) Reading, PA $200,000
Berks County Emergency Response Team (Exeter Twnp Police Dept.) Reading, PA $250,000
Alvernia College South Reading Youth Initiative (Alvernia College) Reading, PA $600,000
All Kids Count (American Library Association) Washington, DC $258,000
Norristown Youth Program Support (Police Athletic League) Norristown, PA $92,000

Defense - $15,200,000
Delaware Valley Continuing Education Initiative for National Guard and Reserve $800,000
U.S. Navy Mobile Condition Assessment System Pilot for Commander, Navy Region Mid-Atlantic (CNRMA) $1,000,000
Center of Cardiac Surgery Robotic Computerized Telemanipulation $1,600,000
Next Generation Protective Seat $2,400,000
Portable Emergency Broadband System $4,000,000
Affordable Lightweight Power Supply Development $1,000,000
COTS Technology for Situational Space Awareness $2,800,000
Mismatch Repair derived Antibody Medicines to Treat Staphylococcus-derived Bio-weapons $1,600,000



Energy and Water - $3,316,500
Corps of Engineers, Mid-Atlantic River Commissions $2,365,000
Alvernia College Scientific Instrumentation Initiative $570,900
Instrumentation and construction costs for three student independent research labs dedicated to biology, chemistry, biochemistry, and physics at Albright College in Reading, PA $380,600

Financial Services - $300,000
Delaware County Community College for a small business solutions center $300,000

Interior and Environment - $500,000
STAG Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Project, City of Reading Wastewater Treatment Plant $500,000

Labor/HHS/Education - $86,033,000
Phoenixville Community Education Foundation, Phoenixville, PA for remedial after school math and reading education $147,000
I-LEAD, Inc., Reading, PA for the College Without Walls program, including purchase of equipment $143,000
Chester County Hospital, West Chester, PA for facilities and equipment $428,000
Central Pennsylvania African American Museum, Reading, PA for exhibits relating to the Underground Railroad $238,000
Chester County Historical Society, West Chester, PA for a community historical education initiative $190,000
Pocopson Township Historical Committee, Pocopson, PA for exhibits and curriculum development at the Locust Grove Schoolhouse $214,000
National History Day for activities authorized under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act $500,000
National Writing Project for activities authorized under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act $24,291,000
Reach Out and Read authorized under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act $4,965,000
Reading is Fundamental authorized under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act $24,803,000
Center for Civic Education for two programs-We the People and Cooperative Education Exchange-that are authorized in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act as part of the Civic Education program $25,095,000
National Council on Economic Education for the Cooperative Education Exchange program, which is authorized in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act as part of the Civic Education Program $5,019,000

Department of Transportation - $997,500
Construction of Bridge Over Valley Creek for Loop Trail at Valley Forge Park, King of Prussia, PA $142,500
Main Street Streetscape Improvements Project. Boyertown, PA $475,000
Parking and' Street Enhancements at Historic Yellow Springs, Chester Springs, PA $142,500
Montgomery County Community College for expansion of MCCC-West Campus $237,500

All data courtesy of Taxpayers for Common Sense

While many of these projects are worthy projects of going forward, I'd rather not be paying for them like this. Let it work the way its suppposed to. Fund the executive departments and keep oversight of the money that way. And why are we giving money to private organizations like Alvernia College?? Let them pay for their own improvements!

Rep. Jeff Flake (R, AZ) tried to request an ethics investigation into the relationship between campaign contributions and earmarks, but it was killed rather quickly. We need to push to have this sort of thing brought up again and again until the earmarks stop or the investigations go through.

[Whiterook]

I'm already giving Alvernia plenty of my money. X_X

[spratman]

Yeah. They got my money from the VA. Then they got my money for two daughters. The tuition keeps going up but we aren't seeing any advances in quality. Sorry. Rant off!

Politics is all about getting elected. Once elected, you spend the rest of the time trying to get reelected. Reelection is based on how much pork you bring back to your district.

I certainly aren't trying to discourage you from going for it. It's the old boy system. You play ball or you get relegated to some stupid committee studying why cows crap after eating hay....

If Flight 91 would have made it's destination, we would not be having this discussion.....

Good luck!