Friday, December 21, 2012

Before You Even Think of Tipping the Garbageman This Year


To get an idea of what [the financial impact post-Inouye] Hawaii might experience in the coming years, the UH graduate students examined federal funding in Alaska and the impact of the loss of its senior senator when Senator Ted Stevens lost the 2008 election.

Alaska is a nearly “identical case,” University of Hawaii Professor Panos Prevedouros said, because Senator Ted Stevens was from a small state with very large dependence of federal monies, and he was a senator with great seniority and chair of Senate Appropriations Committee.

“Fiscal Year 2009 federal budget was the last one that Senator Stevens of Alaska was present. In 2008, Alaska was represented by Senator Stevens and a junior senator. Stevens alone appropriated $235 Billion[?] million in earmarks. Jointly the two senators from Alaska appropriated $496 Billion[?] million,” Prevedouros said.

“In a case identical to Hawaii in 2012, both Alaska’s senators were replaced in the 2008 elections with two very junior senators. These two 'newbies' were able to appropriate only $46 million in solo earmarks and $174 million in joint earmarks in FY 2010,” Prevedouros added.

Source: Hawaii Reporter

The relevant points are "$496 million" in earmarks plummeting to "$174 million" with Alaska's two newbie Senators in Congress and their utter lack of clout, which is the very situation that Hawaii has on its hands today. However, when Ted Stevens wasn't re-elected and didn't return as the powerful Chairman of the Senate Appropriation Committee, there was not a 'Fiscal Cliff' looming that that will mandatorily slash appropriations across the board to reduce the federal funding even more.

5 comments:

Cloudia said...

My mind is officially 'off' for the rest of the year, Ron!

wishing YOU the best, neighbor-

With Aloha from up da block
Comfort Spiral
~ > < } } ( ° >
> < } } ( ° >

Kay said...

Oh yes... I can just imagine the changes we'll be seeing. Will it affect rail, I wonder.

Have you tipped the garbagemen before? I do the mail carriers, but haven't given to the garbagemen.

RONW said...

Cloudia- "off?"....well, good for you. Year's best to you as well.

Kay- No, money for the rail isn't effected as far as what was appropriated but guarantee zilch additional monies in the future. Secretary of Transportation Ray Lahood just signed the billion dollar grant was on tv with Senator Inouye's empty chair drapped with a kukui nut lei.

kahuku said...

Yes, this has been a big concern with not both of our Senators being replaced by fresh faces.

RONW said...

kahuku- didn't see your comment until now. Actually it was in the moderation folder (?). Haven't visited this site myself for a while. Did I happen to win the lottery? Well, no.