Shawangunk Protest Against Wasteful Govt. Spending

Protest against wasteful DC spending in Shawangunk

Gardiner, New York-March13, 2010 –

Concerned citizens from the Republican, Independence, Conservative, and Democratic parties as well as tea party patriots and non enrolled voters and taxpayers will gather on Saturday, March 27th at noon at the entrance to the Shawangunk Grasslands Nature Preserve on Hoagerburgh Road in the Town of Shawangunk, NY to protest wasteful federal government spending. The protest will focus on a federal stimulus contract in the amount of $799,000 awarded to Ducks Unlimited Inc., an environmental agency based in Michigan. The contract is for hauling dirt into the preserve to cover old runways and taxiways used when the site was the former Galeville airport. The money is being awarded through the Department of the Interior, US Fish and Wildlife Dept. and according to the project Contract Award summary on the Recovery.gov website which tracks stimulus spending, the project will create .062 jobs.

“People don’t want our federal tax dollars being spent on this type of unnecessary, wasteful project which does virtually nothing to “stimulate” anything but Duck’s Unlimited coffers. I don’t know how anyone creates .62 jobs, but we have a lot of need here in the area for real jobs, not make –work,” said Pam O’Dell of www.gardinersright.org/ a local tea party organizer. O’Dell said that $799,000 may not seem like a lot to DC politicians, but here in the 22nd Congressional District that amount represents some Towns’ annual highway budget. This contract purports to help birds but not people, is symptomatic of the waste that has a firm grip in Washington. “Frankly, this contact is for the “birds” and we don’t want it spent in our back yards or anywhere” Roger Rascoe, a local Republican Party leader said. “I’m sure that this is only a drop in the bucket of the irresponsible spending spree in D.C. that has put us in so much debt. It has got to stop somewhere and sometime, so we are pointing to the Ducks Unlimited contract as a prime example of waste.”

The protest is not being officially sponsored by any party or group but is purely a grassroots outcry against D.C. waste and debt. People wanting to participate in the peaceful protest are encouraged to bring their own signs, and be prepared to brave any weather situation. Anyone who needs directions to the Shawangunk Grasslands Nature Preserve can contact Pam O’Dell at 845-255-3557 or Roger Rascoe at 845-744-8636.

Contacts:
Pam O’Dell
gardinersright@earthlink.net
GardinersRight.org