[Mr. Jeeves]

That list sounds terrible, but Health and Human Services spends nearly two billion dollars per day. Defense spends 1.5 billion a day, and so does Treasury (much of it interest on the debt). That's five billion dollars every single day just for those three departments. Stupid as many of the listed items are, they are like the pennies that fall out of your pocket when you reach in for a few twenties - not worth bending over to pick up.

[Small-L]

"A billion here; a billion there; before you know it, we're talking about real money..."---Everett Dirksen(possibly never said it, but certainly would have agreed).

My point is that the plague of set-asides, ear-marks, pet-projects, and foolish spending only reflect the attitude that pervades Congress--"the more money we spend the more votes we can buy; the taxpayers are so stupid that they'll never hold us accountable; and those that know that we're robbing them to buy votes from the others have no voice."