Dear Fellow Conservative,
Just yesterday, Democrat Walt Minnick voted to let the Government spend almost $50 million on beachfront property in the Virgin Islands! I have included a press release (below) from the National Republican Congressional Committee that explains this vote in more detail.
This vote, combined with Minnick's vote to permanently extend the death tax (H.R. 4154) and his support of Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House says to me that Minnick is clearly out of touch Idaho.
Let's reclaim the First Congressional District in 2010!
Jonathan Parker
Executive Director
Spending Freeze or Tropical Breeze: Minnick Approves Millions for Caribbean Beachfront Property
As Deficit Explodes, Democrats Throw Away Taxpayer Money on Tropical Pet Project
Washington- As if anyone needed more proof that Walt Minnick just doesn’t get it, the Idaho Democrat just voted to let the government spend almost $50 million on beachfront property in the Virgin Islands. To make matters worse, the government agency in charge of maintaining the land still doesn’t know if it wants to:
“The National Park Service hasn't yet decided whether it wants beachfront land in the U.S. Virgin Islands for a new national historic site, but House Democrats for the second time in two weeks will try to push the Park Service to do it, at a potential eventual cost in the tens of millions of dollars.”
“Republicans said the site can wait until after the Park Service finishes a study it's in the middle of — and which Congress itself mandated several years ago at a cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars — to determine if it's worthwhile.
“That's what the Park Service wants, too...” (Stephen Dinan, “Virgin Islands Land Eyed for Historic Site,” Washington Times, 1/25/10)
Unfortunately for taxpayers, Minnick's latest government giveaway doesn’t stop at the initial costs:
“The Congressional Budget Office said to acquire the land and begin to put a management plan in place would cost $26 million over the next five years, and total land acquisition could take 10 years and cost about $45 million.
“Managing the site would cost about $1 million a year.” (Dinan, 1/25/10)
“Is Walt Minnick completely out-of-touch or has he just stopped trying to pretend that he can be trusted with taxpayer money?” said NRCC Communications Director Ken Spain. “Even the President is calling for a spending freeze, but Minnick and his fellow House Democrats just can’t stop wasting money. Beachfront property might make a nice place for a vacation when voters throw Walt Minnick out of office in November, but Idaho taxpayers expect more.”
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Paid for by the Idaho Republican Party • 208-343-6405 • www.idgop.org
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee
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