Spending Freeze or Tropical Breeze: Target Dems Approve Millions for Caribbean Beachfront Property

January 27, 2010

FYI, a version of the release below went out to the following districts: John Adler (NJ-03); Jason Altmire (PA-04); Michael Arcuri (NY-24); John Barrow (GA-12); Melissa Bean (IL-08); Tim Bishop (NY-01); John Boccieri (OH-16); Dan Boren (OK-02); Leonard Boswell (IA-03); Rick Boucher (VA-09); Allen Boyd (FL-02); Dennis Cardoza (CA-18); Chris Carney (PA-10); Ben Chandler (KY-06); Travis Childers (MS-01); Gerry Connolly (VA-11); Kathy Dahlkemper (PA-03); Lincoln Davis (TN-04); Joe Donnelly (IN-02); Steve Driehaus (OH-01); Chet Edwards (TX-17); Brad Ellsworth (IN-08); Bill Foster (IL-14); Gabby Giffords (AZ-08); Alan Grayson (FL-08); John Hall (NY-19); Debbie Halvorson (IL-11); Martin Heinrich (NM-01); Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (SD-AL); Baron Hill (IN-09); Jim Himes (CT-04); Tim Holden (PA-17); Steve Kagen (WI-08); Paul Kanjorski (PA-11); Mary Jo Kilroy (OH-15); Ron Kind (WI-03); Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ-01); Larry Kissell (NC-08); Ron Klein (FL-22); Suzanne Kosmas (FL-24); Frank Kratovil (MD-01); Rick Larsen (WA-02); Dan Maffei (NY-25); Betsy Markey (CO-04); Jim Marshall (GA-08); Eric Massa (NY-29); Jim Matheson (UT-02); Michael McMahon (NY-13); Jerry McNerney (CA-11); Michael Michaud (ME-02); Walt Minnick (ID-01); Alan Mollohan (WV-01); Patrick Murphy (PA-08); Glenn Nye (VA-02); David Obey (WI-07); Ed Perlmutter (CO-07); Tom Perriello (VA-05); Gary Peters (MI-09); Collin Peterson (MN-07); Nick Rahall (WV-03); Ciro Rodriguez (TX-23); Mike Ross (AR-04); Loretta Sanchez (CA-47); Mark Schauer (MI-07); Kurt Schrader (OR-05); Carol Shea-Porter (NH-01); Heath Shuler (NC-11); Ike Skelton (MO-04); Zack Space (OH-18); John Spratt (SC-05); Gene Taylor (MS-04); Harry Teague (NM-02); Dina Titus (NV-03); Charlie Wilson (OH-06); David Wu (OR-01); and John Yarmuth (KY-03).

Spending Freeze or Tropical Breeze: Teague Approves Millions for Caribbean Beachfront Property

As Deficit Explodes, Democrats Throw Away Taxpayer Money on Tropical Pet Project

Washington- As if anyone needed more proof that Harry Teague just doesn’t get it, the New Mexico Democrat just voted to let the government spend almost $50 million on beachfront property in the Virgin Islands. To make matters worse, the government agency in charge of maintaining the land still doesn’t know if it wants to:

“The National Park Service hasn’t yet decided whether it wants beachfront land in the U.S. Virgin Islands for a new national historic site, but House Democrats for the second time in two weeks will try to push the Park Service to do it, at a potential eventual cost in the tens of millions of dollars.”

“Republicans said the site can wait until after the Park Service finishes a study it’s in the middle of — and which Congress itself mandated several years ago at a cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars — to determine if it’s worthwhile.

“That’s what the Park Service wants, too…” (Stephen Dinan, “Virgin Islands Land Eyed for Historic Site,” Washington Times, 1/25/10)

Unfortunately for taxpayers, Teague’s latest government giveaway doesn’t stop at the initial costs:

“The Congressional Budget Office said to acquire the land and begin to put a management plan in place would cost $26 million over the next five years, and total land acquisition could take 10 years and cost about $45 million.

“Managing the site would cost about $1 million a year.” (Dinan, 1/25/10)

“Is Harry Teague completely out-of-touch or has he just stopped trying to pretend that he can be trusted with taxpayer money?” said NRCC Communications Director Ken Spain. “Even the President is calling for a spending freeze, but Teague and his fellow House Democrats just can’t stop wasting money. Beachfront property might make a nice place for a vacation when voters throw Harry Teague out of office in November, but New Mexico taxpayers expect more.”

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