Facing the Voters on Earmark Spending

All week, John Mica received a huge backlash after he issued a two-faced press release that caused huge controversy for his praise of stimulus spending for Central Florida, with no mention that he voted AGAINST the stimulus bill.

Here is a far more appropriate and more personal response from another congressman in a face to face meeting with the people in his district:

During the question-and-answer period at his town hall meeting, constituents asked Kratovil about certain aspects of the stimulus package, including whether there was money for the Chesapeake Bay. Kratovil responded there was no money for the Chesapeake because the stimulus did not include earmarks, which are funds targeted to specific local projects.

Now that's a really up front answer, rather than boasting that stimulus money is targeted to a specific central Florida project as John Mica does:

“The total appropriation for transit systems includes $750 million for the New Starts program,” Mica said.

“Nationally, the Central Florida Commuter Rail project is next in line for final approval and federal funding from the Federal Transit Administration."

And more confounding is the fact is that Mica had long ago asserted that he had already secured federal funding for the commuter rail project,......way before there was talk of a stimulus bill:

In 2007:

With one day to spare before possibly losing $180 million in federal funding, CSX Transportation and the state Thursday reached the final deal needed for the region's first commuter-rail system.The agreement turns over 61 miles of tracks from DeLand to Orlando to Poinciana. That means the first leg of the project -- from Fort Florida Road in DeBary to Sand Lake Road in Orange County -- is on track to open in summer 2010.

And at that point, nine daily freight trains -- the bane of harried ommuters -- will be moved out of the heart of Orlando and rerouted around the city toward Winter Haven.
Mica noted that although he could not guarantee when the federal money would be awarded, the money from the Federal Transit Administration is "as certain as anything can be."
Half of the $615 million system will be paid for by the federal government, 25 percent from the state and 25 percent from Volusia, Seminole, Orange and Osceola counties and Orlando. All five governments voted unanimously for the project earlier this year.

A separate $491 million agreement between CSX and the state of Florida covers several items, including the 61 miles of track, improvements to the freight line that will carry the extra freight traffic and several new or improved rail crossings in Alachua, Marion and Sumter counties.

In 2008

Mica is largely responsible for securing more than $300 million in federal funding to help build the 61-mile long rail project between DeLand and Poinciana, connecting Osceola, Orange, Seminole and Volusia counties.

Now which one is it? Did John Mica already have federal funding lined up, or is he dependent on stimulus funding, and if so, why the heck did he vote AGAINST the stimulus plan?

Smacks of deception aka lying.