An un-stimulating editorial

Here is a typical example of the Great Valley Whine: the Fresno Bee is tearful that we didn't get as great an increase in federal spending in recent years as San Francisco, home of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, did, and our Medicare reimbursement rates "barely cover costs." You can hear McClatchy's finest stamping their penny loafers.
Our congressman in the 18th congression district is Dennis Cardoza, Pimlico Kid-Annapolis MD. The MD don't stand for doctor, except maybe for Cardoza's wife, who he shipped off to Maryland, meanwhile bellyaching in his flakish way about the need for more doctors in the Valley. He cemented his relationship with the Obama administration by not attending a UC Merced graduation at which the keynote speaker was Michelle Obama, lying about the reasons for his absence. In fact, he was attending a Blue Dog Democrat fundraiser at Pimlico racetrack during the running of the Preakness.
The Blue Dogs are a group of Democrats that formed their coalition when Republicans took over the House in 1995. The group represents largely rural disticts and it hoped that by betraying its own party, it could continue to collect spoils in areas like agricultural subsidies. Fresno County agribusinesses received $961,304,000 in USDA subsidies from 1995-2009. That's a billion-dollar Valley Blue Dog success story. Blue Dogs are into corporate welfare, not people welfare.
Blue Dog Cardoza signaled last year that he would not hear anybody's pain about health care in his district. Unlike many of the coastal liberal Democrats he despises, the Kid didn't have the guts or decency to hold one public meeting on health-care insurance reform in his district in the midst of one of the largest political debates of the decade.  Nevertheless he raves on flakkishly about the imperative need for a medical school for UC Merced to bring more doctors to the Valley. A medical school in Merced will do about as much good for the people as a peripheral canal would.
 
Badlands Journal editorial board

9-2-10
Fresno Bee
EDITORIAL: Valley not getting its fair share
Distribution of stimulus funds must be more equitable.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2010/09/01/v-print/2062603/editorial-valley-not-getting-its.html
A story in Wednesday's Bee offers another reminder that the San Joaquin Valley does not get a fair return on the tax dollars that Valley residents send to the federal government, even when stimulus funding is counted into the spending numbers.
Federal spending in the Valley increased by about 6% between fiscal year 2008 and fiscal year 2009, largely because of the stimulus funds.
But the Valley's number is well below the nationwide spending, which increased 16%. If you compare the Valley spending with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's hometown, the gap is enormous. San Francisco had a 66% boost in federal spending between 2008 and 2009, according to Census Bureau reports.
We aren't big fans of earmarks -- or pork spending -- but the federal spending detailed in the latest report is mostly for ongoing programs, such as reimbursement to Medicare providers, Social Security and payments to big federal contractors.
Instead of touting earmarks, we'd rather see the Valley's congressional delegation working together to give Medicare providers in the region more favorable reimbursement rates. That would improve access to health care in the Valley. Many doctors have stopped accepting patients because of reimbursement rates that barely cover costs.
There's a problem when federal spending in California increases 15% in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 2009, yet the Valley's increase was 6%. This is not about earmarks, but about fairness.
The national increase is the largest since the Census Bureau began compiling its annual spending report in 1983. It covers a range of federal expenditures, including grants, salaries, contracts, farm subsidies and Social Security payments.
John Lehn, president of the Kings County Economic Development Corp., told The Bee that there needs to be better parity in the future. "The Valley is growing at a much faster rate than other areas, but the federal funding is not reflecting that," he said.
We agree. Democratic and Republican House members must be working on behalf of the Valley so the region gets its fair share.
We also urge Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer to remember that they represent the entire state -- not just the San Francisco Bay Area.