[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 92 (Wednesday, June 7, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1169]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA BLASTS CLINTON AGAIN

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                            HON. BUD SHUSTER

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, June 7, 1995
  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to call to your attention the 
following editorial, which appeared in the Lewistown Sentinel, located 
in my Ninth District of Pennsylvania. This well-written piece explores 
the manner in which transportation issues, in an unprecedented manner, 
have been crassly politicized by the Clinton administration. He was the 
candidate, recall, who won election on his promise to focus on the 
infrastructure of America. However, as the editorial states, the 
President now thinks that highway construction and improvement is just 
``pork-barrel politics.''
  This sad state of affairs is convincingly documented in this superb 
editorial and I commend it to all my colleagues.
                   [From the Sentinel, May 30, 1995]

                 Don't Call It Pork Until You Taste It

       Pork, huh?
       After years of waiting, studying lobbying, waiting some 
     more and studying some more, those who have wanted 
     improvements made to the ``Missing Link'' thought the badly 
     needed highway was finally on its way to becoming a reality.
       But, no, not so fast. Suddenly it's just another pork-
     barrel project. In a shameful game of political football, 
     President Clinton and his staff have jumped on the ``special 
     interest road projects'' in Rep. Bud Shuster's district. The 
     money targeted for those projects, the president charged, 
     would be better spent on teacher training.
       Shuster, of course, is the area's representative in 
     Congress. A long-time member of the House Transportation 
     Committee, he rose to chair the panel when Republicans took 
     over control of the House in the fall election. Now Shuster's 
     efforts to bring road-building dollars to his district--
     something he has always been skilled at doing--are worthy 
     targets for the Democratic president's darts.
       We're sure Clinton didn't worry about stepping on a few GOP 
     toes. We're also sure he didn't expect the screams to come 
     from his own party. In a letter dashed off to the president, 
     state Rep. Ruth C. Rudy, D-Centre Hall, challenged Clinton 
     and his staff to take a drive through her district and see 
     the Missing Link for themselves. Then let them decide if this 
     is really just political pork-barreling.
       We're just as disturbed by wasteful spending as anyone. To 
     be sure, billions of federal dollars have been spent on 
     worthless projects--including some roads--and we want to see 
     that stopped. We also want to see money spent where it will 
     do the most good, and the Missing Link is clearly a good 
     investment. If the president and his talking heads would take 
     a close look at the dangerous, congested stretch of road, 
     perhaps they would agree.
       Clinton should pay the Missing Link a visit. That worked on 
     another Democrat, then Gov. Robert Casey, a few years ago. In 
     fact, the Missing Link Committee, a citizens group that has 
     long been pushing for improvements on the road, put up a big 
     billboard with Casey's likeness on it, along with a plea for 
     him to support the project.
       Maybe Clinton will be the next to visit. Does anybody have 
     a paint brush? Better get busy on that billboard.
     

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