The $43M Natural Gas Station to Nowhere
In his one-man stand against Friday's budget deal, Sen. Rand Paul highlights a real head-scratcher of a U.S. boondoggle

by Brendan Kirby | Updated 09 Feb 2018 at 12:16 PM

In his one-man filibuster of a two-year spending deal that passed in the wee hours of the morning on Friday, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) highlighted a laundry list of wasteful government programs.

Perhaps the most shocking was a $43 million compressed natural gas (CNG) station to help rebuild Afghanistan.

That figure came from a government watchdog, and the Pentagon later argued the report grossly overstated the price tag.

But even if the cost was “only” $5 million to $10 million, it raised questions about why the military conceived of building a natural gas station in a nation with virtually no natural gas vehicles or apparent need for a fueling station to support them.

“I thought the military’s job was to kill the enemy. So the military’s job now is to reduce their carbon footprint, so they bought a $45 million dollar gas station that serves up natural gas, and guess what they discovered?” Paul said. “They kept waiting. So the guy sitting next to the pump — you can imagine him sitting on a stool, and he’s waiting for customers — no one ever came.”

Paul said military planners belatedly realized that Afghanistan, like the senator’s hometown in Kentucky, has very few vehicles that run on natural gas.

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"So they said, 'Well gosh, we already built this $45 million gas station. Maybe we should buy them some cars," he said. "So they bought them some cars with your money. They pay for the gas station with your money. Now they bought them some cars with your money."

The gas station was one of many anecdotes Paul recited on Thursday in his bid to hold up the vote on the budget deal — a vote that eventually came after midnight.

Other example offered by Paul include a government-funded study to determine whether astronaut Neil Armstrong said "one small step for man" or "one small step for a man." Other examples included a little-used, one-mile trolley in the nation's capital; a $500,000 study to determine whether "selfies" make people happier; and a $356,000 study to determine if Japanese quail are more sexually promiscuous when on cocaine.

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https://www.lifezette.com/polizette/the-...in-afghanistan/

I've been looking for specifics on the budget. Thus far I've found this article.

If actually acted on this would be one good thing:

You're fired: Trump to rid 'worst' federal workers, automatic raises, fat bennies
by Paul Bedard | Feb 9, 2018, 7:01 AM

“We’re 18 years into the digital millennium. We need to look at a different way,” said a budget official.

President Trump plans to take the huge federal Civil Service off cruise control, ending automatic pay increases that go to 99.7 percent of the workforce, trimming fat benefit packages, and for the “worst,” rolling out his trademark phrase from The Apprentice, “You’re fired!”

In his budget, set for release Monday, his administration is planning the biggest reform to the federal workforce in decades, using models from Amazon, Google, and a handful of well-operating agencies.

Officials said the overall goal is to bring the 1950s-styled Civil Service into the digital age, introduce automation, reward “the best” with bonuses, make it easier to hire and fire, and provide “flexibility” by moving employees where they are needed and even rehiring skilled retirees.

Gone would be the automatic reward of pay “step” increases of 3 percent to 5 percent which 99.7 percent of workers get, regardless of their performance. Also targeted, said the officials, are annual reviews that now give “everybody” a grade of four or five on a scale of five. And benefits, now 47 percent higher than in the private workforce, according to a congressional report, will be trimmed.

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Among the changes proposed:

Quote: ThirstyMan wrote in post #6

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This absolutely must change!

In Greece goofy compensation packages like this were considered normal.

MAGA!!!

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Quote: Cincinnatus wrote in post #9

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Zitat

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Planned Parenthood will continue to receive hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars in the new spending agreement, despite Republican pledges to defund the nation's largest abortion provider.

Congressional Republicans failed to make good on their campaign promises to end taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood in their latest rounds of contentious negotiations with Democrats, which largely focused on military spending and immigration. Despite controlling both houses of Congress and House Speaker Paul Ryan's (R., Wis.) 2017 pledge to defund the organization, Republicans were unable to implement plans to redirect taxpayer dollars to local community health centers that do not provide abortions.

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http://freebeacon.com/issues/planned-par...-spending-deal/

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Typical Rino behavior. I'll bet Ryan tried 'real hard' LOL.

Unfortunately this is what Trump is dealing with as regards the budget and immigration.

AND

Schumer, McConnell Rammed Through Vote on $300 Billion, 652-Page Budget in 18 Hours
by Sean Moran9 Feb 20183,235
On the day of the latest government shutdown, Congress passed a two-year $300 billion, 652-page budget in under 18 hours, much to the dismay of conservatives.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) struck a deal on Wednesday to fund the government for two years, featuring substantial increases in domestic and defense spending. Both the House and Senate passed the $300 billion two-year budget on Friday morning, halting a temporary government shutdown.

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http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/...et-in-18-hours/


652 pages in 18 hours ... If a representative read straight through that would be a little over 36 page per hour. Another pass it so you can see what's in it moment.

I'm certain Schumer and McConnell are quite pleased with themselves.