The Hildebeeste's Spending Problem

Bill Clinton's wife thought it was necessary for US taxpayers to "assist victims" in New York after the 9/11 event. She must have been right--US taxpayers coughed up enormous sums to the American Red Cross (among other charities) to assist New York victims, their survivors, the police and firemen.

But the Hildebeeste had other victims in mind.

Hildebeeste and Chucky Shumer demanded $20 billion for New York. Bush rolled over and gave it to them. Of the $20 billion, “about $500 million is being funneled in grants to 145 big corporations that promise not to quit downtown. By comparison, thousands of families struggling to pay their rent and mortgage have received less than $75 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.” according to a New York Daily News investigation.

And whaddya know about this: One beneficiary of this federal largess was Goldman Sachs, a global investment banking and securities firm. Ranking forty-first on the Fortune 500 in 2006, Goldman Sachs is worth $43.3 billion and turned a $5.6 billion profit in 2005.

Goldman Sachs received a $25 million grant in 2005 from the Job Creation and Retention program. According to the Daily News, Goldman Sachs “agreed to stay downtown only after forcing Governor Pataki to abandon a West St. tunnel near the entrance to Goldman’s planned $2.4 billion headquarters across from Ground Zero.”

So tell me--was Goldman going to leave NYC? Or was this just ransom?

Do you like your refrigerator? Your air conditioner? Vacuum cleaner?

Another boondoggle was the September 11 clean air program. This scheme apparently made every last New Yorker eligible to receive up to $1,750 in federal funds to purchase air conditioners, purifiers, and vacuum cleaners. Hillary, from her seat on the senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, supported the program. The program, originally estimated at $15 million, ended up costing at least $129.7 million.

Only 5,000 New Yorkers were expected to participate, but 118,591 ultimately won approval for free appliances, including 5,211 applicants in Flushing, Elmhust, Hillcrest, and Rego Park in Central Queens—areas that the plume of noxious air from the blasts did not reach—were approved to get $6.3 million in appliances. Eight miles from Ground Zero in Starrett City, where residents were likewise unaffected by soot, one in every ten households applied for clean-air freebies. In that city, a total of residents hauled in $633,495 from federal taxpayers.

HUD also made grants in the national interest:

$30 million to enhance sixteen city parks

$19 million for an “I Love NY” tourism campaign

$4 million for the beautification of four blocks on Broadway’s Canyon of Heroes

$3 million to promote fifteen museums

$3 million for actor Robert De Niro’s Tribeca Film Festival

The Hildebeeste would be President some day--she thinks. Her staff already took out one rival by spreading rumors about a 'zipper problem.' She's perfectly willing to purchase votes.

Pay attention...