Note to Beck: Doors repaired with stimulus funds were hangar doors and did not cost $1.4 million
SUMMARY: Echoing the Drudge Report, Glenn Beck falsely claimed that the government spent $1.4 million of economic stimulus funds "to repair a door" at Dyess Air Force Base. In fact, the doors repaired were hangar doors and did not cost that much money.
On the July 20 edition of his Fox News show, Glenn Beck falsely claimed that the government spent $1.4 million of economic stimulus funds "to repair a door" at Dyess Air Force Base, located near Abilene*, Texas, adding, "Wow, what happened to that door? That's a lot of repairing, you know. Can we buy a new one, and cheaper? I don't know what building 5112 is, but it better fly, drop bombs, or have 1.4 million doors." Introducing the segment, Beck stated: "Now, you can go right online and see how they're just peeing your money away." In fact, the repaired doors on Building 5112 were actually hangar doors, and they did not cost $1.4 million to repair.
Beck's claim that the government spent $1.4 million to "repair a door" echoes a headline posted on July 20 on the Drudge Report, which stated: "RECOVERY.GOV // AWARDED: $1,444,100 FOR 'REPAIR DOOR BLDG 5112'..."
In fact, under the "View all project descriptions" link on the page to which the Drudge Report linked, Recovery.gov actually states that the government awarded AFCO Technologies nearly $1.2 million to replace gas mains on the base, and $246,100 to repair doors in Building 5112. A Department of Defense document listing American Recovery and Reinvestment Act projects in Texas states that the doors that were repaired in Building 5112 are "hangar doors." Moreover, a May 5 press release from the Dyess Air Force Base stated that the money awarded for the gas main project "may have saved eight jobs" and that the base could "now possibly hire two more employees."
During the segment, Beck -- again echoing the Drudge Report -- also stated that the government "spent $1.1 million on 2-pound frozen ham," and "more than $1.5 million ... for some mozzarella cheese." However, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack issued a statement on July 20 stating that the "references to '2 pound frozen ham sliced' are to the sizes of the packaging. Press reports suggesting that the Recovery Act spent $1.191 million to buy '2 pounds of ham' are wrong." Vilsack added: "In fact, the contract in question purchased 760,000 pounds of ham for $1.191 million, at a cost of approximately $1.50 per pound."
Vilsack also stated that "the U.S. Department of Agriculture has made $100 million available to the states for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), which acquires food that is distributed to local organizations that assist the needy -- including food banks, food pantries, and soup kitchens."
From the July 20 edition of Fox News' Glenn Beck:
BECK: By the way, we spent $18 million redesigning Recovery.gov. Now, you can go right online and see how they're just peeing your money away. It's great. Like in Los Angeles, where the Department of Agriculture has spent $1.1 million on 2-pound frozen ham, sliced. I hope it's more than just one ham.
By the way, they tell me now it's not just per pound. The -- Agriculture -- Department of Agriculture has pointed this out that they bought 760,000 pounds for $1.50 per pound. We checked at the grocery store, you can get it for $0.80. Some savings, huh? Thanks, Uncle Sam.
In Cleveland, the Department of Agriculture is spending more than $1.5 million from -- for some mozzarella cheese. Wait a minute, I'm seeing a theme here. Oh, please tell me we brought some bread.
The Department of Veterans Affairs in Brooklyn is spending $350,000 to replace and upgrade the dumbwaiter. The dumb waiter, I think, is the guy who brings you a $3 million sandwich, and the dumb taxpayer is the one who gets the bill.
And in San Antonio, Texas, Dyess Air Force Base -- $1.4 million to repair a door at Building 5112. Wow, what happened to that door? That's a lot of repairing, you know. Can we buy a new one, and cheaper? I don't know what building 5112 is, but it better fly, drop bombs, or have 1.4 million doors.
But, maybe it's OK. Maybe we can go ahead and spend all this money, you know, on ham and cheese sandwiches. According to the -- by the way, does anybody know why we're spending all that money on the ham? Are we trying to reassemble a pig? I'm not sure what the Department of Agriculture would need all of that ham for, but maybe it's another luau at the White House.
You should have kept it simple and said...
"Basically, Glenn is... a moron" and stopped there
But don't let him know that, or he would just get confused and freak out.
Nevertheless, <sarcasm>I hope you're proud of yourself.</sarcasm>
Where were you when no bid contracts were being handed out to Halliburton, giving them billions of tax payer dollars to build barracks that kill Amercian servicemen? Where were you when Mr. Bush lied us into a pointless and atrociously expensive war in Iraq that has not helped this country at all? Where was your phony outrage then, Mr. Beck?
It was Bill Clinton who renewed the no-bid Halliburton contract. There are only two companies that are capable of handling a contract like Halliburton has. One is Bectel and the other is Kellog,Brown and Root which is partly owned by Halliburton. I had the opportunity to see these men work in Grenanda where they rebuilt an entire airfield in fourteen days. They and the army corp of engineers literally worked around the clock.
Also, if Glenn Beck is such a liar, how come his book Common Sense is on the top ten best sellers? I very rarely listen to him, but on my way to work today he did make alot of sense about health insurance and different scenerios for small business people.
Good lord, that is one of the weakest arguments I've ever seen. What is to say that people buy books based on validity? What about bulk orders from conservative groups?
Besides, you're also asserting that Al Franken is not a liar, since he's been on the best-seller list as well. Do you want to take that argument to FreeRepublic and try it out?
If they're both telling the truth, then they're both lying. And if they're both lying, then they're both telling the truth. And so on...
There may only be two companies that could handle the entire contract, but there was no reason not to break it up and let smaller comapnies bid on separate aspects of it. This was pure pork for wealthy friends, and it cost U.S. servicemen their -lives-.
Steven King is regularly at the top of the bestseller lists. Are you arguing that he does not write fiction? Being on a bestseller list only indicates popularity, -not- veracity.
I got so bored with trying to explain that this wasn't an argument, that I reduced my response to the Ratings Queens to one standard line;
OVER 1 BILLION SERVED!
I guess it's tied in with the groupthink, conformist mentality that draws people to the right.Popular = Average, so Average must = Good. One billion flies can't be wrong either.
I don't see the knee jerk citing of ratings as often as I did a year or two ago at this site, so hopefully even the slowest wingnuts have figured out that it's a meaningless rebuttal.
But Fishergirl is in her own league. :)
Do you have a clue as to what you are talking about? The Cat was referring to Iraq sir. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand this. So you response is that it was Clinton who renewed these contracts???? Seriously? Look, Bill Clinton left office in 2001. The Haliburton-Kellog Brown contract was renewed in 2003. Pray tell, how did Clinton manage that?
Go to this site for the oh, so painful truth, which you are so obviously ignorant of.
contract.http://www.ombwatch.org/node/1697
So... a best selling book means your not a LIAR? Are you really that mind-numbingly, batsh!t stupid? Rush Limbaugh had two best sellers. Ann Coulter has several. JENNY F-ING MCCARTHY has a best seller DEDICATED to spreading the LIE that vaccines cause autism! LIES are not proven or disproven by how many people BUY THEM. They're proven or disproven by an objective examination of the FACTS. And GLENN BECK is either a LIAR or he's INSANE.
All your "point" proves is that there is a sadly large number of ignorant jackholes left in this country who will pay good money to be lied to by these charlatans, presumably in order to feel better about themselves and their situations.
As others have pointed out, we were talking about Iraq contracts. I'd be mighty confused as to how Halliburton had their Iraq contracts renewed under Clinton, since, you know, we had not invaded said country at that time.
I've heard this diatribe about there only being 2 companies capable of pulling these things off, and that's pure BS. There are plenty of large scale companies who could have done what they did. They weren't given the chance.
Glenn Beck having a best selling book doesn't make him any less of a liar. There is a well known scam that goes on for conservative book writers. One of these idiots, like Beck, releases a book, conservative book clubs order, and snatch up large amounts of them, which then propels said book to the top of, or near the top of best selling lists, and then folks like yourself can say, "See, I told you he was smart and not a liar, he's got a best selling book." Conservatives have been doing this for YEARS and YEARS. How else can you explain Coulter having best selling book after best selling book? It's not because people are buying them individually. It's because book clubs prop these people up.
I had the opportunity to see these men work in Grenanda where they rebuilt an entire airfield in fourteen days.
Oh yeah? 14 days? Well, my grandfather was a Seabee and they built airstrips in the WWII Pacific theater in a matter of HOURS.
All for about several million $$$ less than these war profiteers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYvQegtYDjk&feature=related
you'll get to the part of "Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers" where the way Halliburton and KBR did business in Iraq and how they overcharged the government for and didn't even do the job right.
-Extremely long lines our troops had to wait to get a meal because they had to be fed only by KBR. It was reported later that they charged $1.8 billion in unsupported costs.
-charged government $45 for a six pack of Coke made in the region, not transported from America.
-charged govt $100 to wash a bag of clothes and returned clothes grimy.
-Halliburton employees were staying in Kuwait in lavish resorts because all expenses were charged to the government.
-Employees were being paid by the hour for recreation.
-Executives in Kuwait had decked out $40,000 SUVs again, paid for by the govt including Hummers and Escalades. Government paying over 200,000 each on leases over 3 years.
-Ordering trucks with no extra parts. When some thing breaks, destroy the vehicle and order a new truck. Govt pays.
" Moreover, a May 5 press release from the Dyess Air Force Base stated that the money awarded for the gas main project "may have saved eight jobs" and that the base could "now possibly hire two more employees." is a perfect example of stimulus money being used, if you can read and not just agree with idiots on the television
since you're good at math. Any idea how much was added to the Federal Debt during the Bush/Cheney years?
Or do they prefer to steal lies from someone else?
Is that what The Little Guy (who sounds just like the AFLAC duck) is referring to when he talks about the "back-benchers?" Or are those GOP politicians caught in the act?
So Glenn Beck is in favor of feeding deficient grades of meat to our fine upstanding volunteer military who deserve the best we can buy?