July 18, 2007

The Case Of The Mystery Earmark

It's hardly a case for Sherlock Holmes, but a million dollars of your money went missing yesterday. Congress earmarked it to an outift called the Center for Instrumented Critical Infrastructure, despite the fact that no one could quite tell whether or not this Center exists, let alone what they need with the money. And despite the best efforts of one particular porkbuster, the money vanished into the thin hot air of Capitol Hill.

At Heading Right, we take a look at the mystery, and find the usual suspect. It didn't take Sherlock Holmes to figure this out, either. Unfortunately, in the end, it seems more like Murder on the Orient Express, where everyone did it -- as it usually turns out with earmarks.

TrackBack

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/tabhair.cgi/10555

Comments (12)

Posted by Graham | July 18, 2007 8:43 AM

Hey! Give a spoiler alert, man!

Slightly more on-topic, can't politicians realize that anti-pork is more popular than pork?

Posted by AJStrata | July 18, 2007 9:07 AM

Ed,

Just a guess, but sometimes emergency intel spending might run through something like this....

What caught my eye was "instrumented critical infrastructure". This hints at surveillance systems to protect our national infrastructure from possible attack. Just a thought.

AJStrata

Posted by tmac | July 18, 2007 10:09 AM

"Just a guess, but sometimes emergency intel spending might run through something like this...."

Well, its "only" a million dollars--petty cash for a government bureaucracy. I understand this is one of Murtha's earmarks, so it is definitely pork.

Posted by COB6 | July 18, 2007 10:22 AM

The mystery is solved. CICI is a secret program. Details here: http://crotchetyoldbastard.com/blog/2007/07/cici_exposed.html

Posted by retire05 | July 18, 2007 10:33 AM

A little research can be a dangerous thing. The earmark was designed to go to Concurrent Technologies, not to some phanthom group that no one can proves exists. It also seems that Concurrent was the reciprient of $150 million Navy contract in 2005 secured by (tah-dah) one John Murtha.

Daniel DeVos is CEO of Concurrent but he is so much more. He is also the director of AmeriServ Financial, a banking group in Murtha's home state.

Seems like the earmark reform so loudly touted by the Dhimmicrats was just all bluster.

Posted by La Mano | July 18, 2007 10:53 AM

Just curious, has Ellison been voting for the PORK?

Posted by Blaise MacLean | July 18, 2007 11:18 AM

I don't know if this ia appropos of anything, but if you go to the Concurrent Technologies Corportation (CTC) website and so a site search for "Center for Instrumented Critical Infrastructure", the search comes up empty..."No Matches Found". So, CICI, at least at this moment, seems not to exist within the CTC.

So the question is, where is the money going?

Posted by Blaise MacLean | July 18, 2007 11:31 AM

I don't know if this ia appropos of anything, but if you go to the Concurrent Technologies Corportation (CTC) website and so a site search for "Center for Instrumented Critical Infrastructure", the search comes up empty..."No Matches Found". So, CICI, at least at this moment, seems not to exist within the CTC.

So the question is, where is the money going?

Posted by William Betts | July 18, 2007 11:53 AM

Great idea. Here is my letter to the honorable congressman
Dear Mr. Murtha.

I just saw the news stories on the excellent work you did on behalf of the Center for Instrumented Critical Infrastructure. It seems to me that my center, "The Center for Displaced I.T. workers" is also worthy of federal funding.

It's true that my center doesn't actually exist, but could be up and running in just a few days. All we need is some seed money. We would provide job training to I.T. workers who, like myself, have had their jobs outsourced overseas and have exhausted their severance benefits.

Since 1,000,000 dollars is too high a price for some narrow minded people to give to worthy causes, I think a quarter of that amount should be enough to enable us to help several potential voters and not attract the attention of those pesky balanced budget types.

I don't have a PA address, although the company that outsourced me is from Chesterbrook so I feel like you are nearly a neighbor. I will be happy to pick up the check at your district office as soon as the appropriation passes.

Best wishes in the continued stewardship of the tax money of fellow displaced I.T. workers.

Posted by Blaise MacLean | July 18, 2007 11:59 AM

Oh. And another thing....

You note at heading right that the million dollars would pay the average person's salary for 40 years. But, how many people's health care premiums would it buy?

The thing about the left is that they are constantly attacking the so-called rich but, in reality, they have no idea how hard a person actually has to work to earn 50, 60 or 70 K per year. They throw around million of dollars as though they were frisbees.

Posted by Naman | July 18, 2007 12:41 PM

That money is going to the secret Stargate program!!

Posted by retire05 | July 18, 2007 12:52 PM

Dear Congressman Murtha,

I plan on moving to your state and starting my 501(c)3 group. The name of the group will be The Study of the Environmental Impact of Hoochie Koochie Dancers on South Beach.

If it will aid in my garnering more of the taxpayer dollar for my group, I will be happy to include Hoochie Koochie dancers from all 50 states as well as U.S. terrorities.

This action would require the use of your brother's lobbying firm and I am sure the payment to your brother will hinge on the amount of taxpayer dollars I can obtain. Of course, for you patriotic assistance in my obtaining the millions required for the study, I would be happy to donate to your (next) campaign fund. Say 15%?