The Soapbox

Joined: 10/07/1998 Posts: 24
Likes: 23

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Tripled over 24 years? That's not a very fair timeframe for analysis

Again, I'm not well-versed in federal budget documents but this page (https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/historical-tables/) has a link to Table 4.1 that shows historic spending to all federal agencies. Since you cherry picked your timeline for tripling, I'll cherrypick an agency for comparison. In 1962, DOD's budget was 50B. In 2017, it was 568B. That's a TENFOLD increase. (On a percentage basis, DOD actually looks pretty good in this analysis. HHS has a 31,000% increase since 1962...)

If I run the numbers comparing to 1980 (a more fair analysis to your point), EPA's budget has increased 146%. That is the lowest % increase of ANY agency over that timeframe. Again, I understand that you are opposed to most federal spending, but EPA is hardly the boogeyman here. If anything, they are a pretty convenient punching bag in the budgetary process.

As to successes, I fully agree that EPA does a crappy job of demonstrating the good things that they do. But looking back at that other budget document, about 40% of their budget goes to state and local grants for infrastructure. Talk to someone in the wastewater or drinking water sectors and ask about that. Treatment plant expansions, especially in rural areas or cash-strapped municipalities, are a godsend and wouldn't happen without these grants. Local officials will tell you that economic development can sometimes depend on those projects--you can't build a new subdivision or add new industry if your treatment plant is maxed out. I could go on, but I doubt you are interested! ha...

And not to nitpick, but wasn't Solyndra a Dept of Energy project?

(In response to this post by TomKazanski)

Posted: 04/04/2018 at 9:40PM

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