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Is There Such A Thing As Too Much Publicity?

     For the people looking for publicity....the answer is clearly NO.   But that takes on so many variables, you have to toss in a few caveats as well.   A politician running for office desperately seeks publicity....as long as its good publicity.  Otherwise the answer to the question above is YES.    Bring in the "spin-doctors" and all of a sudden the yes/no question becomes MAYBE and now you're into the ears of the beholder.   House Speaker John Boener for example is leading the charge to cut the unnecessary spending, including Congressional pork from the Washington budget, but he vehemently opposed the move to cut $450 million from the F-35 back-up engine contract.  He knows it's a waste of taxpayers money...but of course he fought the cut....just like the Massachusetts Congressional delegation fought it, because the constituents back home were going to benefit from that four hundred fifty million bucks.....jobs at the GE plants in Massachusetts (Lynn) and the GE plants in Ohio...Speaker Boehner's home-state.

     The Massachusetts Congressional delegation vote is not a surprise....with the exception of Scott Brown, its all big spending liberal Democrats.  John Boehner on the other hand is a conservative Republican, looking to cut unnecessary spending, but is forced to vote FOR this particular item.......with the Democrats.....Yikes!!!   $450 million taxpayer dollars that everyone knows is a totally unnecessary, but here's the Speaker's way out.   He knew the votes weren't there to approve the expenditure...the Speaker knows how to count heads, so his YES vote was good publicity and safe with the folks back home.    It's pretty clear to any clear thinking person, the military doesn't need a back-up, interchangeable engine for the F-35.     I find it difficult to accept but I agree with the President on this one.  (even more disconcerting than agreeing with Barack, flip-flop Barney Frank actually voted against the expenditure).  The Pentagon doesn't want this engine, no-one in the military wants this engine, the Air Force doesn't want it.   Even our Sec. of Defense Robert Gates told the House Armed Services Committee...."this is an unnecessary and extravagant expense."    We'll have to wait and see if this $450 million will be resurrected.

     When it comes to publicity....it's all in the "spin".   The President for example says he's trying to create jobs.....so put a "spin" on this one for me:  In his 2012 budget, Obama created 5,000 new jobs.....at the Internal Revenue Service!!!!   Hey, the man is creating jobs...right?     Gotta love Treasury Secretary Timothy (slippery) Geithner defense of the move....telling Congress, "the new IRS employees will be concentrating more on customer service or information technology than enforcement."

     Good publicity?   To quote Congressman Todd Akin from Missouri....."I'm from the IRS and I'm here to help you" said the Congressman.  "That's a hard sell in my state."     Todd earlier described the IRS agents as a "goon squad" we could do without.

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