Saturday, May 28, 2005
Rep. Earl Blumenauer aides have conflicts of interest
Representative Earl Blumenauer, the pro-smart-growth congressman from Portland, Oregon, has at least two staff members who also earn money from government agencies that receive federal funding. One has received more than $100,000 in no-bid contracts from Tri-Met, Portland's transit agency. Another is also on the payroll of Metro, Portland's regional planning agency. Both Tri-Met and Metro depend heavily on the federal government for funds.
The Oregonian says that House ethics rules do not specifically forbid congressional staff members from receiving money from agencies that get federal funding, but it interviewed numerous people who call this a conflict of interest. "There's no rocket science here," says the Portland director of Ralph Nader's Congressional Accountability Project. "This is a conflict of interest, and it is not complicated."
Blumenauer himself sees no conflict of interest because he considers it his job to get as much federal pork for Oregon as possible. "I lobby for money for Oregon," Blumenauer told The Oregonian.
Yet this represents a potential conflict in several ways. To what degree are the government agencies buying the support of staff members who recommend to Blumenauer whether to give money to, say, Portland's transit agency vs. Eugene or Salem transit agencies? To what degree are the agencies simply rewarding well-connected staff members for their past support? And ultimately, is it really Blumenauer's job to rip off taxpayers of as much of their money as possible and give it to the agencies that give extra favors to his staff?
The Oregonian says that House ethics rules do not specifically forbid congressional staff members from receiving money from agencies that get federal funding, but it interviewed numerous people who call this a conflict of interest. "There's no rocket science here," says the Portland director of Ralph Nader's Congressional Accountability Project. "This is a conflict of interest, and it is not complicated."
Blumenauer himself sees no conflict of interest because he considers it his job to get as much federal pork for Oregon as possible. "I lobby for money for Oregon," Blumenauer told The Oregonian.
Yet this represents a potential conflict in several ways. To what degree are the government agencies buying the support of staff members who recommend to Blumenauer whether to give money to, say, Portland's transit agency vs. Eugene or Salem transit agencies? To what degree are the agencies simply rewarding well-connected staff members for their past support? And ultimately, is it really Blumenauer's job to rip off taxpayers of as much of their money as possible and give it to the agencies that give extra favors to his staff?
Sunday, May 22, 2005
Why I am not an environmentalist
To low-income people, "environmentalism has seemed to be about preserving places most of us will never see," says Orson Aguilar, a community activist in California. Instead of helping low-income communities, environmentalists have opposed actions that could provide more affordable housing. As a result, Aquilar thinks that the death of the environmental movement that has been proclaimed by some environmentalists may be a good thing. "Until environmentalists put economic development on their agenda along with protecting the planet, people from low-income communities will have trouble calling themselves green."
Salt Lake Rail Wastes Money
"Over the past decade, UTA (the Utah Transit Authority) has concentrated on the development of rail transit systems that primarily serve affluent areas of the city," says this opinion piece by Michael Ransom, an economics professor from Brigham Young University. Because rail transit is so expensive, operating cost per ride have nearly doubled in the past decade. Yet UTA wants to build more light rail as well as spend $500 million on a commuter-rail line.
"Unfortunately, all of this money spent on rail transit doesn't buy the majority of us, car-driving or bus-riding taxpayers, anything," says Ransom. "It will do nothing to help the poor and disabled, as they aren't interested in commuting from Ogden or Pleasant View to Salt Lake City, and they would need a car to get to the rail stations, anyway. In fact, it will hurt them, because resources used to fund new rail services will make fewer resources available to bus lines that serve poor neighborhoods, and likely will lead to higher fares for bus riders."
"Unfortunately, all of this money spent on rail transit doesn't buy the majority of us, car-driving or bus-riding taxpayers, anything," says Ransom. "It will do nothing to help the poor and disabled, as they aren't interested in commuting from Ogden or Pleasant View to Salt Lake City, and they would need a car to get to the rail stations, anyway. In fact, it will hurt them, because resources used to fund new rail services will make fewer resources available to bus lines that serve poor neighborhoods, and likely will lead to higher fares for bus riders."
