Bob Bestiani: I'd Be a Bigger Porker Than Carol Shea-Porter

The Granite Grok folks allowed GOP candidate Bob Bestiani to rant about the person he'd like to replace, Congresswoman/Toothache Carol Shea-Porter:

Our Congresswoman, Carol Shea Porter proudly reported today that she had secured all of $1.5 million to fund two local New Hampshire projects. One million of this was for streetscape improvements in the Gaslight District in Manchester and $500,000 for infrastructure improvements for the Berwick Bridge in Somersworth.

Great, thank you! In the meantime, the State Department of Transportation has a Red List of 77 bridges most in need of repair. The projected cost, according to DOT, would be $403 million. The DOT estimates that there are resurfacing needs on highways that would cost $58.7 million. A quick calculation shows that this appropriation represents 3/10 of one percent of what New Hampshire needs.

I guess the fight against pork-barrel earmarks is over, when the NH GOP's best and brightest can only complain that the Democrats are ineffective at it.

It's not as if better lines of attack against Spendocracy aren't available. Here is a Word doc from the Josiah Bartlett Center's Grant Bosse (from back in January) with a more focused look:

The New Hampshire Department of Transportation Wish List for spending the anticipated federal windfall from the Obama Administration ignores legislative priorities from the Ten Year Transportation Improvement Plan, and misses an opportunity to fix every Red List bridge in the state.
The big culprit: the DOT asking for a cool $300 million for implementing commuter rail on the Lowell-Nashua-Manchester line. Not only are the upfront priorities dubious, at best a new commuter rail line would put NH on the hook for ongoing subsidies, roughly forever.

Last Modified 2009-07-26 9:55 PM EDT