BY FRANK VERNUCCIO
The U.S. debt currently
exceeds an unprecedented
$28 Trillion. It’s about to get
worse.
According to a Congressional
Budget Offi ce (CBO)
projection, there will be a federal
budget defi cit of $2.3 trillion
in 2021. At 10.3 percent
of gross domestic product
(GDP), that defi cit would be
the second largest since 1945.
Defi cits, which were already
projected to be large by historical
standards before the
onset of the 2020–2021 coronavirus
pandemic, have widened
signifi cantly as a result
of the economic disruption
caused by the pandemic and
the enactment of legislation
in response. In CBO’s projections,
annual defi cits will average
$1.2 trillion a year from
2022 to 2031 and exceed their
50-year average of 3.3 percent
of GDP in each of those
years. They may decline to 4.0
percent of GDP or less from
2023 to 2027 before increasing
again, reaching 5.7 percent of
GDP in 2031. By the end of the
period, both primary defi cits
(which exclude net outlays for
interest) and interest outlays
are rising.
Clearly, this is not a time
to be tolerant of unnecessary
spending. The Citizens
Against Government
Waste (CAGW) has released
their 2021 Congressional Pig
Book, which they believe demonstrates
that legislators continue
to pack the 12 spending
bills that fund the federal government
with pork.
According to their fi ndings,
For the fourth year in
a row, members of Congress
have set a record for the cost
of earmarks during the supposed
earmark moratorium.
An earmark is a provision
inserted into a discretionary
spending appropriations bill
that directs funds to a specifi c
recipient while circumventing
the merit-based or competitive
funds allocation process.
BRONX TIMES R 74 EPORTER, MAY 7-13, 2021 BTR
CAGW notes that The
United States is facing an imminent
fi scal reckoning. The
current national debt is going
to grow at a record pace over
the next decade.
CAGW reviewed 285 earmarks,
which is an increase
of 4 percent from the 274 in FY
2020, at a cost of $16.8 billion,
an increase of 5.7 percent from
the $15.9 billion in earmarks
in FY 2020. The cost of the FY
2021 earmarks is 1.8 percent
higher than the $16.5 billion
in FY 2010, the last year prior
to the moratorium. Since
FY 1991, CAGW has identifi
ed111,702 earmarks costing
$392.5 billion.
The $16.8 billion in FY 2021
is an increase of 147.1 percent
from the $6.8 billion in FY
2017. The number of earmarks
has also risen sharply. The
285 earmarks in FY 2021 are a
74.8 percent increase from the
163 in FY 2017.
CAGW states that “This
explosion of earmarks has apparently
not been suffi cient for
members of Congress. House
Appropriations Committee
Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.)
and Senate Appropriations
Committee Chairman Patrick
Leahy (D-Vt.) have agreed to
restore earmarks for FY 2022,
for which CAGW named them
both March 2021 Porkers of
the Month. On March 17, 2021,
the House Republican Conference
agreed to go along
with this plan by a vote of
102-84, while Senate Republicans,
who became the fi rst
group of members of Congress
to agree to a permanent ban
on earmarks on May 23, 2019,
by a vote of 28-12, have yet to
undo their policy.”
The new earmarks, despite
a futile attempt to cover
them up by designating them
as “Community Project Funding,”
will be similar to the old
earmarks that were included
in the appropriations bills
passed by Congress during
fi scal years 2008-2010, which
required that the names of
the members who received
earmarks be listed in each
bill. According to Chair De-
Lauro, each member may request
up to 10 community projects;
requests must be posted
in an online searchable website;
a list of projects funded
must be published when the
subcommittee or committee
is marking up a bill; for-profi t
entities are not eligible, and
members must certify that
they, their spouse, and their
family have no fi nancial interest
in the project. But there
is no prohibition on making a
campaign contribution in exchange
for an earmark.
CIVIC CENTER
Community Action
Civic Association
BY AL D’ANGELO
What is racism? According
to the dictionary racism is
prejudice, discrimination, or
antagonism directed against a
people on basis of their membership
in a particular racial
or ethnic group. Some typical
examples would be the treatment
of black Americans under
the Jim Crow laws that
enforced racial segregation
in the southern United States.
When immigrants came to
this country (legally) and were
not allowed to work because of
their nationality, Italians were
greeted with signs “Italians
need not apply”. It was wrong
then and it is wrong now. However,
racism is used as a political
tool to divide us. Is it ok for
offi cials to limit the number of
Asians in specialized schools?
Aren’t we discriminating
against Asians? The excuse
is we need more minorities in
these schools and it’s unfair
that Asians take up a large
portion of the seats. What
are you saying that minorities
can’t compete on an equal
playing fi eld? That Asians are
smarter than any other race?
I fi nd that degrading and insulting.
Did anyone consider
may it’s their work ethic? Remember
all those children you
called “nerds” in school? Well
now your calling some of those
same people Doctor. The fault
again falls at the feet of elected
offi cials, instead of fi xing the
education in our inner cities
they want to blame Asians
and lower the standards for
entrance into specialized
schools. If the politicians were
so interested in education why
did they cave into the pressure
from the teacher’s union
and keep public schools closed
during the pandemic. Private
schools were opened and
those that could afford it enrolled
their students or hired
tutors. Why are they against a
voucher system? Now we are
told we need to apologize for
the color of our skin; isn’t that
discrimination? White students
are being taught in some
schools that they are born racist.
I would like to know how
they conducted that study and
how that helps race relationships
in this country. Dr. Benjamin
Carson, a man who rose
from nothing to become one
of the greatest neurosurgeons
in the world should be held
up as a model to what hard
work and perseverance can
do and praised for his accomplishments
but instead he is
ridiculed and called an Uncle
Tom. Isn’t he being discriminated
against because of his
politics? Tim Scott, a rising
Black political leader is also
ridiculed and demeaned because
his political views don’t
match the narrative of the
far left. Have you heard the
name of Martin Luther King
mentioned lately? A man who
changed the world without riots,
looting, and hate speeches.
He has been marginalized because
it doesn’t fi t a political
narrative. Do you really think
most politicians care about
race? If they did, they would
be giving minority communities
a hand up instead of
a hand out. Instead of making
them dependent on a system
they would give them the
tools to be dependent on themselves.
The tools they need are
simply – education: the education
in the inner cities are the
worst in the nation. Why not
give them the opportunity to
go to any school they choose?
Safety: the inner cities are a
hot bed of crime. Instead of vilifying
the police, why not foster
a better relationship with
the police and the community.
A safer community will then
lead the way for businesses
to invest in these communities,
bring jobs and prosperity.
Health: once again the residents
of the inner cities are the
least healthy in the nation. Local
hospitals should set aside
time to do health screening in
these communities to improve
health conditions. Why isn’t
this done, why wasn’t this
done? Isn’t it discrimination
not to give minorities these
basic opportunities? Instead
of fi xing the blame where it
should be, we blame racism
and point fi ngers at people we
disagree with politically and
brand them racist. America
is a racially mixed society
and people should be proud of
their heritage and celebrate
it. The majority of people are
not racist because people, especially
immigrants, choose
to live and work in areas that
refl ect their culture this is not
racist it only becomes racist
when others are excluded because
of their race or religion.
In 1963 Martin Luther king
said” In the process of gaining
our rightful place, we must not
be guilty of wrongful deeds.
Let us not seek to satisfy our
thirst for freedom by drinking
from the cup of bitterness and
hatred”
CIVIC CENTER
Morris Park
Community
Association
From Councilman Mark Gjonaj
This week is chock full of
a myriad of constituent service
events, including a series
of informational town halls.
Kicking it off on Monday was
our virtual town hall on all
the intricacies of starting and
maintaining a non-profi t organization
in the city. Gracious
enough to join us for this event
was CUNY Law’s Maggie Sposato,
who was more than happy
to dispense her knowledge to
existing non-profi t organizations
and aspirants.
On Tuesday and as May
is Mental Health Awareness
Month, we followed up the previous
virtual town hall with
another on mental health practices.
The COVID-19 pandemic
has affected us all in different
ways, and for many, the isolation
has been particularly
stressful. Dr. Popiel from Jacobi
Hospital and The Samaritans
of New York were able to
enlighten town hall participants
on the mental health resources
available to them so
that they may receive the relief
they need. Also discussed
were at-home practices, coping
strategies and techniques
to minimize anxiety, amongst
other things. These can be
tremendously helpful and oftoverlooked.
Our Mother’s Day “Ice
Cream with Mom” (sociallydistanced
and precautioned
of course) is set for this weekend,
to be held at Pelham Parkway
South and Wallace Avenue
from 1p to 3p. Stay tuned
for upcoming giveaways, free
tax preparation, rapid testing
and other events and services
hosted by my offi ce and I.
As always, the constituent
services team at my district
offi ce is available for the questions
and concerns of all Council
District 13 residents. They
can be contacted by phone at
(718) 931-1721 or at MGjonaj@
council.nyc.gov. Follow me
on Facebook and Twitter for
regular updates on the week’s
events, including both preview
and recap. Thank you and continue
to stay safe.
/council.nyc.gov
