Say Anything Blog

Back in September when North Dakota Democrat rising star Jasper Schneider was given a cushy federal appointment by the Obama administration I had this to say:

Rep. Jasper Schneider is a rising star among North Dakota Democrats, mostly because he introduced Barack Obama at the state Democrat convention last year and he looks good in the cliched “politicians wading through wheat fields in flannel” pictures (it’s how liberals in this state convince us that they’re just one of the rubes).  And now Schneider just got appointed to a cushy ‘thanks for helping me get elected” post by the Obama administration where his job will basically amount to handing out checks for all the federal pork that gets spent in this state while wearing his best “vote for me” smile.

That way all the people getting the checks will identify him as their big government sugar daddy until it’s time to run for higher office again.  Which he’s no doubt being trimmed to do.

Now, from today’s Jamestown Sun:

Groundbreaking ceremony for Jamestown Regional Medical Center, 4:30 p.m., at the center’s site, 2422 20th St. S.W., Jamestown, exit 256 south of Interstate 94. Scheduled to attend: Gov. John Hoeven, Sens. Kent Conrad and Byron Dorgan and Rep. Earl Pomeroy. USDA North Dakota State Director Jasper Schneider will present a ceremonial check to the hospital.

I wish I could get a job that amounted to handing out ceremonial “vote for us” checks funded by other people’s money.

Regardless, has anyone else noticed this trend?  As soon as election time rolls around suddenly there’s a flurry of ribbon-cuttings and ceremonial check bestowings around the state all attended by our federal delegation all wearing their best “vote for me” smiles and sharpening their down-homey accents.

Essentially, they’re campaigning with our federal tax dollars.  Which, more than anything else, is the point of all the pork barrel spending in Washington DC.  It’s all about politicians being able to stand behind ceremonial checks and say “We got you this money.”

Which is pathetic.  What do these people do to make North Dakota more independent?  What do they do to make it so that we don’t need big, fat checks from the federal government?  What have they done to promote more local control?

A friend of mine who works in local government says these days qualifications for local political leadership are less about, you know, leadership and more about how well you fill out federal forms.