Eminentoes
An Airport for Somebody
And that somebody is Rep. John Murtha, PorkAir frequent flyer extraordinaire.
President Obama spent loads of political capital early in his administration to push a behemoth $787 billion "spendulous" bill through Congress. In this promised era of transparency and accountability, Americans were supposed to rest safely in the assurance that the President would hold the line against fraud, waste and political kickbacks.
Apparently, Congressman John Murtha (D-PA) didn't get the memo.
The John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport is tucked away on the outskirts of Johnstown, PA, a town with a population of approximately 21,000. On any given day the airport handles an average of 20 passengers on a total of three flights -- all to Washington Dulles International Airport. A recent exposé by ABC News found the airport "virtually deserted" and dubbed John Murtha's airport the "Airport for Nobody."
Over the past decade, Congressman Murtha has secured at least $150 million in federal funding for his airport, in addition to a $147 per passenger annual government subsidy. Included in Murtha's earmarks are an $8 million state-of-the-art radar system that has never been used and a $6.5 million three-story National Guard and Reserve training center that resembles a ski lodge. In 2006, Murtha siphoned off $17.8 million of defense spending to replace a 7,000 foot asphalt runway with a concrete reinforced bed. Add it all up, and so much pork has flooded into Johnstown, PA, that somebody ought to call FEMA.
Bottom line: Since 1999, American taxpayers have spent approximately $1200 per passenger to operate John Murtha's little airport. It would have been considerably less expensive if we had provided passengers a free shuttle to nearby Pittsburgh, purchased them a full fare ticket on a regional flight and picked up their meal expense along the way.
But things weren't looking so good earlier for John Murtha's namesake airport when the economy took a downturn and declining passenger traffic resulted in a smaller slice of the taxpayers' pie. Along the way, Mr. Murtha tried unsuccessfully to squeeze a few more federal dollars for his pet project, though it wasn't until the stimulus money started trickling down the federal pipeline that he got the cash.
Once the stimulus funds were available, however, the administration designated an additional $800,000 of taxpayers' money to pave a second runway at John Murtha's airport. Apparently, one runway isn't enough for three daily flights and 20 passengers.
In the best case scenario, this decision appears to contradict the president's commitment not to allow stimulus funds "to be distributed…in response to improper influence or pressure." In the worst, it looks like the President is now a willing party to the very system of political paybacks he so vehemently opposed.
Yet President Obama has repeatedly stressed the need "to make sure that every single dollar" of the stimulus money is "well spent." A single dollar of waste, the President admonished, will be exposed and stopped. Stimulus funds in an Obama administration were supposed to target only those projects that demonstrate the ability to "deliver programmatic results" and "achieve long-term public benefits."
Congressman Murtha's airport does neither.
As the ranking member on the oversight committee, I've formally requested that the acting administrator at the Federal Aviation Administration provide a full account of this egregious waste of taxpayer money. How repaving John Murtha's second runway in Johnstown, PA, stimulates anything but the congressman's name recognition is a mystery to me, and I'm confident that it's infuriating to taxpayers.
This is precisely the kind of waste that Washington has to stop, and time will tell if the President has the political muscle to match his rhetorical strengths. Until then, feel free to book your ticket on PorkAir to Northwestern Pennsylvania, compliments of Congressman John Murtha and U.S. taxpayers.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (84) | Leave a comment
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Pingback| 5.26.09 @ 6:50AM
5/26-Heartland Morning Front Page: Poll Indicates Nearly 40% of Adults Consider Thems links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Enslaved Taxpayer| 5.26.09 @ 8:44AM
Speaker Pelosi knew nothing about it! Sure there were meetings, funding requests, phone calls, dinners, and the occasional committee meeting she attended. But J. Murtha did not tell her specificaly that he was steeling from the taxpayers, he just said he might "redirect" some money.
This guys a crook, plain an simple and the House leadership is complacent in his crimes. I thank you for your candor and actions to stop him!
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Tony in Central PA| 5.26.09 @ 9:54AM
People in Murtha's own district dislike him and consider him a crook. But they keep on reelecting him. Why ? Pork.
People in the part of the US really believe that our government has a secret, bottomless chest of money. As long as the local politicians keep bringing it in, they can turn up in any imaginable mess and continue to get reelected. So much for the virtues and values of rural America.
Old Texican| 5.26.09 @ 3:59PM
This article deserves NO comment.
Same ole same ole...
Corruption!
Richard Baker| 5.26.09 @ 5:33PM
This guy was a Marine, as he keeps telling us. Great and thanks for his service. However, he has given another meaning to "Semper Fidelis". He is ALWAYS faithful to his political life. Guess he forgot what real fidelity means. My apologies if any other Marine takes offense. No offense intended to you, Leathernecks.
Real American| 5.27.09 @ 12:39AM
Even on a pathetic thug website no one cares. You, sir, fail at stirring people up.
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joey| 5.27.09 @ 10:10AM
what exactly is wrong with what Murth is doing?
i wish my congressman would put an airport in my district, or a mall, or a huge shopping center.. whatever... bring jobs in, get the town out of the dumps and get home values going back up which will have a great ripple effect.
that is why the government is setup like that.. your congressman has to know how to bring in the bacon back to the district
zensurfer| 5.27.09 @ 11:04AM
Joey has single handedly proven the hypocrisy of the left. They spent 8 years attacking everything any republican did and excuse the same behavior of their own.
crazedandinfused| 5.27.09 @ 12:44PM
One person's stimulus is another person's pork. Where were you when that flood of federal spending went down the rat-hole in Iraq?
Kirt| 5.27.09 @ 12:54PM
Murtha should be doing hard time in a federal prison!
Joe| 5.27.09 @ 1:16PM
Hey Darrel,
Don't you about Murtha. He's a war hero.
All that you have brought California is
Arnold. That was a great idea.Nice going.
You should be concerned only about California.
Not Pennsylvania.
Rick| 5.27.09 @ 1:31PM
Great article, but geographically challenged. Last paragraph. Johnstown is in the south western corner of PA. Just to the right of Pittsburgh
Bill Varner| 5.27.09 @ 2:16PM
Free Speech, for sure. National security, you think? Why don't we just call all of our enemies or send them the newspaper headlines. Americans are still so stupid. Washington will let you hear what they want you to hear... ask any Indian. There's always a long term plan. Why don't you try to dig a little deeper, you'll see
(just be sure it's what YOU want to see).
idiotjoey| 5.27.09 @ 2:21PM
joey proved his lack of intelligence.
Sure, YOU want these things. Where does the money come from? Somewhere else. Therefore, you would happily make others suffer so that your little town gets special treatment.
That's anti-American, and EXACTLY why we have a $10 Trillion debt and $50 Trillion in unfunded mandates. Because people llike YOU want stuff, but don't want to pay for it.
You want an airport? Fine.. send your town a check for it. Otherwise, get outta my country, you freeloader.
idiotjoey| 5.27.09 @ 2:25PM
Joe said: "You should be concerned only about California. Not Pennsylvania. "
No, sir, you should think of AMERICA. You are proving again why we have such a large debt. Greed. Greed between states and towns.
Gordon Gecko never stole money from anyone, but you call him greedy. When your state gets more than others, it is basically stealing and others suffer as money is taken from their towns. You sir, are worse than Gordon. You and Murtha.
Tim McVeigh was in the military too. I respect service, but it's not a pass to steal from others for something not needed. Get a clue.
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Richard Baker| 5.27.09 @ 4:48PM
Those liberals, ah yes. These are the same people who were blaming the US for causing 9/11. These are the same folks who loudly and frequently advocate an enslaved system/society which wouldn't affect themselves, just everyone else. As examples, consider the many millionaires in Congress, business, entertainment, and the media who openly support restricting everyone else's Liberty and Freedom. These folks play-act as if tyranny is a meaningless word. For those of us, through our military service, who have seen real tyranny, it's not a game but a too often sad reality around the world. We DON'T want it here. If these deluded folks think the antithesis of Liberty and Freedom is so wonderful, I'll pay their First-Class airfare to wherever they think it's being done properly. The only proviso is that they've got to go and STAY.
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Getting the Hydra Scale