Friday, May 14, 2010

FLOGGER: DHS to States- "Pleeease spend this money!"

National ID Bashing with Cato's Jim Harper 

c/o Cato@Liberty 

Here’s a window onto the upside-down way government spending works. The Department of Homeland Security has sent a letter to states begging them to spend federally provided money on implementing REAL ID, the national ID law.

“DHS is regularly asked by members of Congress, as well as the Office of Management and Budget, if these funds are needed by the states, and whether these funds should be reallocated to other efforts,” writes Juliette Kayyam of DHS’ Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. “As both the states and the Federal government face increasingly tough budgeting decisions, it is more important than ever that these available funds be utilized.”

That’s right: Tough budget times make it imperative to spend more money.

States don’t want to implement REAL ID, and the American people don’t want a national ID, but the DHS bureaucracy is rattling cages to try to get money spent purely for the sake of spending. It’s flabbergasting.

1 comment:

Beat The Chip said...

BACON ALERT - What we know about the "deal" made between states is if they take the initial "free money" offer to instate the program they are on the hook and committed to see the build for it all to completion. There is no end to the mission or scope of this national ID project as regulated or written in the Real ID law. I believe States are wary to committ to a project that has no end, along with the spending.