More Pork

[Milk3]

"Lawmakers asked for nearly $20 billion in earmarks or "pork-barrel projects" in their homes states in 2009, a nearly 15 percent increase in funding from last year, according to a prominent taxpayer interest group."

"While the number of earmark projects requests decreased by 12 percent last year from 11,610 to 10,160, the amount of money going to the projects increased by more than $2 billion to 19.6 billion for FY 2009.

"Despite repeated claims by members of Congress that earmarks have been reduced, the Pig Book belies that claim," said CAGW President Tom Schatz, who noted that this year's spending bill also included 221 anonymous earmarks amounting to $7.8 billion of the spending that no lawmakers took credit for."

"The book highlights a number of "egregious" projects, including $1.8 million for swine odor and manure management in Ames, Iowa, $3.8 million for the Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy in Detroit, $1.9 million for a water taxi service in Connecticut and $380,000 for a fairgrounds area in Kotzebue, Alaska."

""This Pig Book is more than just a list of projects. It shows why taxpayers are frustrated, why tomorrow when people have to send in their taxes, why there is this high level of frustration. It's no coincidence that there are going to be tea parties across the country," Williams said. "There is growing divide between members of Congress and the people that pay taxes and this divide is getting bigger and bigger."

Oink! Group Calls Out Top Congressional Porkers - Presidential Politics | Political News - FOXNews.com


This countries "leaders", from both parties, are the only thing wrong with this country right now

[pvfan]

I have no problem with "pork". Without it, I seriously question if most in Southwest Virginia would have things such as high speed internet or clean drinking water.

[R13]

I don't think he knows what a pork-barrel project is.

[sup-rbeast]

Yeah, alot of folks freak out over pork...but they don't realize that is the way small town America gets a good sum of Fed money for local projects.

[Crackersneckian]

I agree that some pork spending is much needed but there are many that are BS. Here are just a few; $219,000 teach college students to watch TV, 1.2 mil. to study breeding habits of the woodchuck, $150,000 to study the Hatfields-McCoy fued, 1.7 mil. for pig odor research in Iowa, $200,000 for tatoo removal research, and the list goes on. How hard would it be for the politicians in Washington to be able to vote down some of the nonsense pork spending? If they would just use a little common sense which I'm sure they have but don't use. Then it seems it always goes back to the bickering between (R) and (D) parties and thats when they get nothing accomplished that can truely help Americans.

[sup-rbeast]

The problem is that pork is put in bills to secure the vote of the congressman representing the area the pork $$$ are heading to. Without it, many good bills would fail. The best way to trim a bill is through a line item veto...but if I'm not mistaken, the President doesn't have that power now days.

[simple man]

"Lawmakers asked for nearly $20 billion in earmarks or "pork-barrel projects" in their homes states in 2009, a nearly 15 percent increase in funding from last year, according to a prominent taxpayer interest group."

"While the number of earmark projects requests decreased by 12 percent last year from 11,610 to 10,160, the amount of money going to the projects increased by more than $2 billion to 19.6 billion for FY 2009.

"Despite repeated claims by members of Congress that earmarks have been reduced, the Pig Book belies that claim," said CAGW President Tom Schatz, who noted that this year's spending bill also included 221 anonymous earmarks amounting to $7.8 billion of the spending that no lawmakers took credit for."

"The book highlights a number of "egregious" projects, including $1.8 million for swine odor and manure management in Ames, Iowa, $3.8 million for the Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy in Detroit, $1.9 million for a water taxi service in Connecticut and $380,000 for a fairgrounds area in Kotzebue, Alaska."

""This Pig Book is more than just a list of projects. It shows why taxpayers are frustrated, why tomorrow when people have to send in their taxes, why there is this high level of frustration. It's no coincidence that there are going to be tea parties across the country," Williams said. "There is growing divide between members of Congress and the people that pay taxes and this divide is getting bigger and bigger."

Oink! Group Calls Out Top Congressional Porkers - Presidential Politics | Political News - FOXNews.com


This countries "leaders", from both parties, are the only thing wrong with this country right now

Hope we don't get any for the schools. Since the kids that have paid a dollar and a quarter in taxes are crying.

[pvfan]

Supreme Court ruled against line item veto beast, and I agree that would be the best way to cut out a lot of this.

[sup-rbeast]

Funny thing is that Rudy Guilani pushed for the line item veto to be taken from Clinton, who used it fairly effectively...and the Court, in their infinite wisdom (SARCASM) did take it away. But, it may have been a blessing in disguise since Bush never had the chance to abuse it. Anyways, given the current economical mess we're in, IMO the President should have it on a limited basis....

[R13]

I agree that some pork spending is much needed but there are many that are BS. Here are just a few; $219,000 teach college students to watch TV, 1.2 mil. to study breeding habits of the woodchuck, $150,000 to study the Hatfields-McCoy fued, 1.7 mil. for pig odor research in Iowa, $200,000 for tatoo removal research, and the list goes on. How hard would it be for the politicians in Washington to be able to vote down some of the nonsense pork spending? If they would just use a little common sense which I'm sure they have but don't use. Then it seems it always goes back to the bickering between (R) and (D) parties and thats when they get nothing accomplished that can truely help Americans.

Links to that? I'd say most of the "bad" pork you see, is twisted to sound completely dumb. Like the teach college students to watch TV is something like more TV's for a local college...you can twist those to make it look like what you mentioned when it's really not that stupid. I'm glad for pork projects around here.