.."PLEASE keep re-electing me"
Posted on 04/06/2005 4:27:44 PM PDT by CHARLITE
- Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today released the 2005 Congressional Pig Book, a sweeping compendium of the pork-barrel projects in the federal budget.
Congress spent more tax dollars on pork this year than in any other year in history. For fiscal 2005, appropriators stuffed 13,997 projects into the 13 appropriations bills, an increase of 31 percent over last year’s total of 10,656. In the last two years, the total number of projects has increased by 49.5 percent. The cost of these projects in fiscal 2005 was $27.3 billion, or 19 percent more than last year’s total of $22.9 billion. In fact, the total cost of pork has increased by 21 percent since fiscal 2003. Total pork identified by CAGW since 1991 adds up to $212 billion.
“Despite a record $427 billion deficit predicted for fiscal 2005, members of Congress are engaging in the worst form of blatant self-interest; larding the budget with pork for home districts and states,” CAGW President Tom Schatz said.
Examples of pork in the 2005 Pig Book include:
· $10,000,000 for the International Fund for Ireland;
· $3,000,000 for the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation;
· $1.7 million for the International Fertilizer Development Center;
· $1,430,000 for various Halls of Fame, including $250,000 for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tenn., and $70,000 for the Paper Industry International Hall of Fame in Appleton, Wis.;
· $350,000 for the Inner Harmony Foundation and Wellness Center in Scranton, Penn.;
· $100,000 for the Tiger Woods Foundation; and
· $100,000 for the Bach to School Program.
The 2005 Congressional Pig Book Summary is the little pink book available in paperback; it details 470 of the most egregious examples of pork, gives pork per capita rankings by state, and calls out the worst offenders in Congress with the annual “Oinker Awards.” The 13,997 projects in the complete Pig Book are available in a searchable database here http://www.cagw.org/site/PageServer?pagename=reports_pigbook2005.
“Whether for ‘inner harmony’ or attracting tourists, a member of Congress will give any number of reasons why a pet project is essential, even if it means circumventing the budget process to pay for it,” Schatz continued. “But after 15 years of tracking congressional excess, CAGW has found that pork projects rarely accomplish the lofty goals set by members of Congress. The true legacy of pork is its contribution to the $7.8 trillion national debt.”
Citizens Against Government Waste is the nation's largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.
.."PLEASE keep re-electing me"
CAGW has a monthly radio show at http://www.rightalk.com
This thing comes out every year. The "pigs" do not care. They get away with it over and over and then yell about how the peons should pay their "fair share" of taxes. It just makes me weep.
Yay Montana is in 5th place!
*teases all the states losing their money*
The true legacy of pork is its contribution to the $7.8 trillion national debt.”
I know of an organic meat company where the cost of producting and processing is more than the selling price and the num nuts keep giving money to this organization.
I may have to visit this place after reading this.
I also heard there was a substantial grant for a Ground Hog museum in Puxatawny, PA.
Good! The sooner this country bankrupts itself, the sooner we can start over with a real government.
If only more Americans were as concerned about being ripped off by the government as they are about higher gas prices.
Internally Harmonious Jagoffs.
Just imagine the pork if we had another Clinton term and a Congress controlled by liberals...
The pork would be unbearable.
I dislike how they do it, but pork is what makes our government go round. Expecting politicians to act like responsible, socially aware, idealists is asking too much.
The idea is to reduce the high levels of pork, and the creation of entitlements because entitlements are the ultimate pork and they inevitably cost us more and more every year.
(The elected reps are like pork traders. I understand they trade votes on some issues for votes in favor of pork for their states. Too bad we don't have line item vetoes. I'm sure the President would like to veto some of them line items from time to time.)
... which would somehow, magically, work better than the one we have?
Amen, brother....Oink,oink
What ever happened to the line item veto?
Oh wait...
Why am I not surprised? (((yawn)))
Almost 2 million for dung development. Grrrreaaaaat!
Your "limited government" is getting too damn expensive.
Why are we supposed to vote for these weasels, again?
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