How Rush Benefits from Porkulus

RUSH: I’m very embarrassed. I have learned that I personally am going to benefit from the Porkulus bill. It was brought to my attention over the weekend, fit to be tied. It turns out one of the shovel-ready projects in Missouri is the Cape Girardeau County Regional Airport. It’s going to receive $1.6 million on pavement maintenance of the runways and the tarmac. That’s where I fly into when I go visit the family. Thus, I am benefiting from the Porkulus. I have a mind to call whoever in the county and say, ‘Don’t take it. I’ll give you $800,000 for it, and you’ll probably still have money left over after you do the maintenance, and this way, I won’t feel guilty and you won’t have to take the money.’

I know what they’ll tell me. ‘Screw you. We want the full $1.6, we’ll do the maintenance for as cheap as we can, maybe $150, and we’ll pocket the rest for whatever social programs we want and the rest of the county.’ But I’ll make the deal: ‘I’ll give you $800 grand right now to fix whatever needs to be fixed on the runways of the airport if you don’t take the Porkulus.’

Missouri has a Democrat governor. We only have one statewide elected Republican in Missouri government, and that’s Peter Kinder, he’s lieutenant governor. He was a friend of ours growing up, was a couple years younger than I am and he’s the only elected statewide Republican in all of Missouri. So I know my offer will fall flat, and it’s a good offer, it’s a serious offer, and it’s an offer designed to save everybody money. (interruption) Hm-hm. Missouri did used to be a conservative state. What happened is St. Louis and Kansas City. St. Louis, Kansas City, unions, ACORN, voter registration. That’s what happened to Missouri, like it’s happened in so many other areas.