BIG PORK: 11,610 Projects Worth $17.2 Billion
The Democrat-led Congress last year broke a promise to slash pork spending and doled out $17.2 billion for pet projects, a 30% increase over the previous year's $13.2 billion expenditure, according to the Citizens Against Government Waste's (CAGW) 2008 "Pig Book." Congress stuffed 11,610 projects into fiscal 2008 spending bills, the second-highest total ever and more than triple the number of projects in fiscal 2007.
The top three "porkers" identified in the "Pig Book" all were Republican members of the Senate Appropriations Committee: ranking member Thad Cochran of Mississippi with $892 million, Ted Stevens of Alaska with $469 million and Richard C. Shelby of Alabama with $465 million. CAGW ranked Mrs. Clinton of New York the 13th top pork spender in the Senate, far outpacing Democratic rival Sen. Barack Obama who ranked 28th and sent his home state of Illinois about $97 million in pork. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, as usual secured no pork projects.
~Today's Washington Times
The top three "porkers" identified in the "Pig Book" all were Republican members of the Senate Appropriations Committee: ranking member Thad Cochran of Mississippi with $892 million, Ted Stevens of Alaska with $469 million and Richard C. Shelby of Alabama with $465 million. CAGW ranked Mrs. Clinton of New York the 13th top pork spender in the Senate, far outpacing Democratic rival Sen. Barack Obama who ranked 28th and sent his home state of Illinois about $97 million in pork. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, as usual secured no pork projects.
~Today's Washington Times
Complete Pork Database: Search all 11,610 projects by keyword, member, state, party or appropriations bill.
12 Comments:
I love the CAGW. It really is humorous reading the Congressmen defend their pork. So, basically patronage and vote buying should be condoned according to them. They also claim that they know whats best for their districts and what projects to give out. However, if thats true and the money is solely distributed based on the merits of the projects can they explain why does Robert Byrd get so much money for West Virginia through pork and a random freshman Republican representative from Alabama gets close to nothing?
What is really funny is the noises from the "good guys" in the Democratic Party like Mr. Audacity of Hope. Is it audacious to hope that these folks will actually demonstrate some accountability and transparency or just wishful thinking?
One should not merely hope for the best and accept whatever level of abyssmal performance is delivered. Isn't that like pleading with your teenager to clean his/her room?
All members should be held accountable for their votes and their earmarks, and rewarded at the polls on the basis of performance.
While one may not agree with John McCain on all issues, he has consistently demonstrated principle and accountability. He has also worked across the aisle to hammer out bi-partisan agreements on difficult issues in contrast to Senator Obama who has few accomplishments.
I am reminded of the retail chain that advertises low prices thinking that if they just say it enough times, the consumer will believe the advertisements rather than checking prices. Bottom line is that the product you are trying to sell has to create value and satisfy the needs of the customer or the customer goes somewhere else.
Voting is a voluntary transaction just like buying a TV.
The problem is that most people put more thought into buying a TV than choosing who to vote for...
well, the demos are sure trying their best to churn out the pork. but the king of pork title still belongs to the repub congress and george ('never vetoed a bill') bush
check it out:
http://tinyurl.com/2t8mjf
Bobble,
Just saying the other guys are worse isn't much of a recommendation.
The democrats have a problem: they promised earmark reform & have not delivered, and they voted against banning earmarks recently.
Obama & Clinton have a credibility problem on this issue. John McCain does not.
Last time I checked, George Bush was not running for re-election.
I read an interview with Karl Rove in GQ Magazine where he stated a good line of attack for McCain to take on Obama when it comes to the general election. He said that McCain should say:
"On all the big issues where Republicans and Democrats have come together, I've been in the middle of bringing them together, and you've been way out there on the fringe. When we pulled together the Gang of Fourteen, you were out on the fringe. When we pulled together a bipartisan answer on the terrorist-surveillance program, you were way out there on the fringe. When Democrats and Republicans, regardless of where they were on the war, came together to give our troops everything they needed while they were in combat, you were way out there on the fringe."
That should probably do something in shattering Obama's image as a uniter and not a divider.
"Just saying the other guys are worse isn't much of a recommendation."
i'm not recommending anyone, just trying to put things in perspective.
just putting a number out there, 11,610. means nothing if you don't know the historical trend.
"Last time I checked, George Bush was not running for re-election."
jeez, that's a relief. please keep checking
http://quotes.ino.com/chart/?s=NYBOT_DX&v=d6
http://www.treasurydirect.gov/NP/BPDLogin?application=np
Tick-Tick-Tick........
Bobble,
"i'm not recommending anyone, just trying to put things in perspective."
"just putting a number out there, 11,610. means nothing if you don't know the historical trend."
I am aware of the Republican record. Both parties have very abysmal records on earmarks.
The fact that John McCain has had $0.00 in earmarks over his career is, however, an advantage. On this metric, John McCain would appear to be very clearly ahead of the two democratic candidates. It is up to the voters to decide on the relative weighting of this particular metric.
> some accountability and transparency or just wishful thinking?
I would be quite happy if they'd just use GAAP. The crap they pull every day would get any business in the USA shut down in a heartbeat, its officers in jail, on trial, and sentenced to jail time as well as steep fines.
Now if only we could apply those laws to the Long Pigs in Congress, life would be sweeeeeet.
>> "Last time I checked, George Bush was not running for re-election."
> jeez, that's a relief. please keep checking
And yet, for all his flaws, he would still be an obvious improvement over whichever one of the three we're gonna get...
I wouldn't vote for him a third time, even if he was running, but that has more to do with historical dynasty problems of government, not doubts about his ability to do it better than 90% of the idiots out there running for office.
Have to confess that I also have a great deal of respect for George Bush. How many of us could withstand the kind of pummelling that he takes on a daily basis? Yet somehow, he just keeps getting up and soldiering on.
Even after the Democrats took control of the House, Bush has managed to hold his own without becoming a lame duck. That is quite a feat. He has presided during a difficult time and has taken some very controversial and polarizing decisions.
In a few years, we may appreciate him as a very remarkable and visionary president.
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