This Little Piggy Went to Congress
Moderate Republicans who think they’re going to triumph over conservative or tea party candidates, or who have already done so, will not be happy to hear that the Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) have published the 20th edition of “The Congressional Pig Book Summary.”
A friend got me a copy of the booklet and just reading the introduction alone is enough to run out and support a Tea Party candidate.
The first edition of “The Pig Book” came out in 1991, when there were 546 pork barrel projects worth $3.2 million. The Republican Revolution came in 1994, but with it, a rise in pork spending, and a new word, “earmark”. According to The Pig Book, the spending peaked in 2006, 12 years later, at $29 billion. Since the Democrats took over, there’s been a 15 percent decrease in spending, although Congress still managed to waste $19.6 million of the taxpayers money in 2009.
It’s something for voters to remember when they’re re-electing moderate Republicans, although John McCain is definitely a fiscal conservative. If Sen. Robert Byrd (D., W. Va.) is the King of Pork, McCain is the champion of the taxpayer. If only he weren’t also the champion of illegal aliens.
The booklet covers a number of areas: Agriculture, CJS (Commerce, Justice, Science), Defense, Energy and Water, Financial Services, Homeland Security, Interior, the Labor Health and Human Services Education bunch, Legislative Branch, Military Construction, State & Foreign Operations, and the aptly-named THUD (Transportation, Housing and Urban Development.
If you’re partisan, this isn’t the book for you. You won’t find many heroes in the Pig Book. Some of these porkers are such pigs that they were able to submit their pork requests anonymously.
Five unknown senators and four representatives requested and received $2,573,000 for potato research. McDonald’s, according the MSNBC.com purchases $3.4 billion worth of U.S. potatoes every year. Congress wanted the money because the fast-food super chain has such power over the potato market, that less popular varieties must be subsidized.
But probably the most fitting pork is the $349,000 requested by Sen. Kay Hagan (D., N.C.), House Appropriator David Price (D., N.C.) and Rep. Bob Etheridge (D., N.C.) for swine management.
Defense always takes a whopping chunk out of our debt. I love the military and Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen (R., N.J.) is devoted to them. He appropriated $7 million for advanced technology energy manufacturing, $3 million for the Armaments Academy in N.J., $1.6 million for green armament, and another $1.6 million for desktop printers.
Still, those were earmarks for the military, at least. Sen. Robert Casey, Jr. (D., Pa.) received $69,100,000 for 32 projects including the Northeast Counter-Drug Training Center ($4.5 million) and the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining ($1.6 million). Well, that last one doesn’t sound so bad – defense manufacturing. Only one of the Center’s Alliance Partners, Concurrent Technologies was set up by the late Sen. John Murtha as a nonprofit research center for metalworking. He guided more than $1 billion in defense earmarks in their direction, and in turn, their executives contributed frequently to his campaigns.
But Senate Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Thad Cochran (R., Miss.) gets the prize for the most unusual defense appropriations: $3,280,000 for the Cooperative International Neuromuscular Research Group; $3,120,000 for online health optimization and $800K for an Historically Black Colleges and Universities applied research incubator.
Finally, defense money has been earmarked to create the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the Senate, complete with a replica of the U.S. Senate Chambers. For this, the taxpayers can thank Senate Appropriations Committee Daniel Inouye (D., Hawaii), Sen. John M. Kerry (D., Mass.), former Sen. Paul Kirk (D., Mass.), and Rep. Edward Markey, (D., Mass.).
Energy and Water appropriations. Now how can you argue with that? Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee member Jack Reed (D., R.I.), Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D., R.I.), House Appropriate Patrick Kennedy (D., R.I.) and Rep. James Langevin granted Brown University (which is located in Rhode Island) $1.5 million for fuel cell research. Brown is one of the top colleges in the nation, with an endowment of $2.7 billion. They have all the “fuel” they need for this project.
Financial Services. The Pig Book states, “A Congress that can’t balance the nation’s budget should not be dictating where money should go to teach financial literacy.” Such as $3,150,000 for a faincnial education and pre-home ownership counseling demonstration project; $250,000 for financial and technical assistance for the Western Massachusetts Enterprise Fund; and $100,000 for employment and financial counseling and assistance for Project Ezrah Needs, Inc.
We’re coming up on 9/11, the anniversary of the destruction of New York’s World Trade Center. But did you know there are World Trade Centers in nearly every major city in the United States. Boston has one. $400,000 has been granted to the Wichita Kansas EcoPartnership for the Kansas World Trade Center, $134,000 for the Montana World Trade Center, and $50,000 for the World Trade Center Institute in Delaware. But don’t tell the terrorist guys there are more World Trade Centers out there.
After 9/11, it wasn’t hard to justify spending on Homeland Security, though some monies went to small towns like Barnegat, N.J. (pop. 12,000 – well that’s not all that small). Were they were worried a terrorist might blow up Old Barney, the lighthouse? Or is the town harboring a nest of terrorists? On the other hand, House Approriator Ed Pastor (D., Ariz.) sent $800,000 to Global Solar Energy for the portable solar charging rechargeable battery system. Maybe it’s the back up system in case Old Barney fails.
Then there’s the Interior section. Senate Interior Appropriations Committee member Robert Bennett (R., Utah) designated $800,000 for a “culinary reservoir.” For you music lovers, House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee member Alan Molloham (D., W. Va.) appropriate $150,000 to the Vandalia Heritage Foundation for the restoration of Cottrill’s Opera House. However, the Vandalia Heritage Foundation and is sister group, the Vandalia Redevelopment Group were created by Molloham and received millions of dollars in federal earmarks and grants in recent years. The groups are run by one of the Congressman’s former aides.
Under Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, Senate Labor/HHS Appropriates Subcomittee Chairman Tom Harkin, alone appropriate 12 percent of this group’s budget to benefit: $500,000 for the Czech and Slovak Museum in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; $500,000 to the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium; $400,000 to Orchestra Iowa’s music education program; and $400,000 to the AIB College of Business in Des Moines to train court reporters.
Sen. Robert Bennett (R., Utah) granted $250,000 to the I-Won’t-Cheat-Foundation in Salt Lake City for an anti-steroids education and awareness program.
Then there are the government-supported museums and organizations that could easily have supported themselves through modest ticket price increases, such as Hawaii’s Bishop Museum in Honolulu. The Washington National Opera with a fund balance of $19,547,622. All the same, Sen. Thad Cochran allowed them $200,000.
The Gig Harbor Museum is 85 percent of the way to its goal of $11.1 million to open its new facility. Federal taxpayers are contributing $200,000 to this obscure museum in Washington; all residents of Gig Harbor had to do was come up with $28.54 per citizen.
What does the Legislative Branch have to do with museums and appropriating money for them? Well, they decided to earmark – anonymously - $200,000 to the Durham Museum in Omaha, Nebraska. Yee-haa. Or hee-haw.
Did you think we were done with Defense spending? Not quite. Military construction is a separate item. Most of the items here seem reasonable. But House Military Construct ion Appropriations Subcomittee member Andre Crenshaw (R., Fla) is proposing $26,360,000 for a fitness center at Mayport Naval Station. Ten miles from Mayport is the Jacksonville Snap Fitness Center, whose member ship is $44.95 a month. The earmark could provide over 48,000 year-long Snap Fitness memberships for the 60,400 personnel and families at the base, including retirees.
Under State and Foreign operations, $17,000,000 has been granted to the International Fund for Ireland. As for the aptly-named THUD (Transportation and Housing and Urban Development), Senate THUD Appropriations Subcommittee member Sam Brownback (R., Kan.), Sen. Pat Roberts (R., Kan.) and House appropriator Todd Tiahrt (R., Kan.) have granted $2,000,000 for the National Institute for Aviation Research. Major aerospace companies are among it clients, well able to foot the bill for this program.
The Pig Book – it’ll just make taxpayers of all persuasions squeal with outrage.
A friend got me a copy of the booklet and just reading the introduction alone is enough to run out and support a Tea Party candidate.
The first edition of “The Pig Book” came out in 1991, when there were 546 pork barrel projects worth $3.2 million. The Republican Revolution came in 1994, but with it, a rise in pork spending, and a new word, “earmark”. According to The Pig Book, the spending peaked in 2006, 12 years later, at $29 billion. Since the Democrats took over, there’s been a 15 percent decrease in spending, although Congress still managed to waste $19.6 million of the taxpayers money in 2009.
It’s something for voters to remember when they’re re-electing moderate Republicans, although John McCain is definitely a fiscal conservative. If Sen. Robert Byrd (D., W. Va.) is the King of Pork, McCain is the champion of the taxpayer. If only he weren’t also the champion of illegal aliens.
The booklet covers a number of areas: Agriculture, CJS (Commerce, Justice, Science), Defense, Energy and Water, Financial Services, Homeland Security, Interior, the Labor Health and Human Services Education bunch, Legislative Branch, Military Construction, State & Foreign Operations, and the aptly-named THUD (Transportation, Housing and Urban Development.
If you’re partisan, this isn’t the book for you. You won’t find many heroes in the Pig Book. Some of these porkers are such pigs that they were able to submit their pork requests anonymously.
Five unknown senators and four representatives requested and received $2,573,000 for potato research. McDonald’s, according the MSNBC.com purchases $3.4 billion worth of U.S. potatoes every year. Congress wanted the money because the fast-food super chain has such power over the potato market, that less popular varieties must be subsidized.
But probably the most fitting pork is the $349,000 requested by Sen. Kay Hagan (D., N.C.), House Appropriator David Price (D., N.C.) and Rep. Bob Etheridge (D., N.C.) for swine management.
Defense always takes a whopping chunk out of our debt. I love the military and Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen (R., N.J.) is devoted to them. He appropriated $7 million for advanced technology energy manufacturing, $3 million for the Armaments Academy in N.J., $1.6 million for green armament, and another $1.6 million for desktop printers.
Still, those were earmarks for the military, at least. Sen. Robert Casey, Jr. (D., Pa.) received $69,100,000 for 32 projects including the Northeast Counter-Drug Training Center ($4.5 million) and the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining ($1.6 million). Well, that last one doesn’t sound so bad – defense manufacturing. Only one of the Center’s Alliance Partners, Concurrent Technologies was set up by the late Sen. John Murtha as a nonprofit research center for metalworking. He guided more than $1 billion in defense earmarks in their direction, and in turn, their executives contributed frequently to his campaigns.
But Senate Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Thad Cochran (R., Miss.) gets the prize for the most unusual defense appropriations: $3,280,000 for the Cooperative International Neuromuscular Research Group; $3,120,000 for online health optimization and $800K for an Historically Black Colleges and Universities applied research incubator.
Finally, defense money has been earmarked to create the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the Senate, complete with a replica of the U.S. Senate Chambers. For this, the taxpayers can thank Senate Appropriations Committee Daniel Inouye (D., Hawaii), Sen. John M. Kerry (D., Mass.), former Sen. Paul Kirk (D., Mass.), and Rep. Edward Markey, (D., Mass.).
Energy and Water appropriations. Now how can you argue with that? Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee member Jack Reed (D., R.I.), Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D., R.I.), House Appropriate Patrick Kennedy (D., R.I.) and Rep. James Langevin granted Brown University (which is located in Rhode Island) $1.5 million for fuel cell research. Brown is one of the top colleges in the nation, with an endowment of $2.7 billion. They have all the “fuel” they need for this project.
Financial Services. The Pig Book states, “A Congress that can’t balance the nation’s budget should not be dictating where money should go to teach financial literacy.” Such as $3,150,000 for a faincnial education and pre-home ownership counseling demonstration project; $250,000 for financial and technical assistance for the Western Massachusetts Enterprise Fund; and $100,000 for employment and financial counseling and assistance for Project Ezrah Needs, Inc.
We’re coming up on 9/11, the anniversary of the destruction of New York’s World Trade Center. But did you know there are World Trade Centers in nearly every major city in the United States. Boston has one. $400,000 has been granted to the Wichita Kansas EcoPartnership for the Kansas World Trade Center, $134,000 for the Montana World Trade Center, and $50,000 for the World Trade Center Institute in Delaware. But don’t tell the terrorist guys there are more World Trade Centers out there.
After 9/11, it wasn’t hard to justify spending on Homeland Security, though some monies went to small towns like Barnegat, N.J. (pop. 12,000 – well that’s not all that small). Were they were worried a terrorist might blow up Old Barney, the lighthouse? Or is the town harboring a nest of terrorists? On the other hand, House Approriator Ed Pastor (D., Ariz.) sent $800,000 to Global Solar Energy for the portable solar charging rechargeable battery system. Maybe it’s the back up system in case Old Barney fails.
Then there’s the Interior section. Senate Interior Appropriations Committee member Robert Bennett (R., Utah) designated $800,000 for a “culinary reservoir.” For you music lovers, House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee member Alan Molloham (D., W. Va.) appropriate $150,000 to the Vandalia Heritage Foundation for the restoration of Cottrill’s Opera House. However, the Vandalia Heritage Foundation and is sister group, the Vandalia Redevelopment Group were created by Molloham and received millions of dollars in federal earmarks and grants in recent years. The groups are run by one of the Congressman’s former aides.
Under Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, Senate Labor/HHS Appropriates Subcomittee Chairman Tom Harkin, alone appropriate 12 percent of this group’s budget to benefit: $500,000 for the Czech and Slovak Museum in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; $500,000 to the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium; $400,000 to Orchestra Iowa’s music education program; and $400,000 to the AIB College of Business in Des Moines to train court reporters.
Sen. Robert Bennett (R., Utah) granted $250,000 to the I-Won’t-Cheat-Foundation in Salt Lake City for an anti-steroids education and awareness program.
Then there are the government-supported museums and organizations that could easily have supported themselves through modest ticket price increases, such as Hawaii’s Bishop Museum in Honolulu. The Washington National Opera with a fund balance of $19,547,622. All the same, Sen. Thad Cochran allowed them $200,000.
The Gig Harbor Museum is 85 percent of the way to its goal of $11.1 million to open its new facility. Federal taxpayers are contributing $200,000 to this obscure museum in Washington; all residents of Gig Harbor had to do was come up with $28.54 per citizen.
What does the Legislative Branch have to do with museums and appropriating money for them? Well, they decided to earmark – anonymously - $200,000 to the Durham Museum in Omaha, Nebraska. Yee-haa. Or hee-haw.
Did you think we were done with Defense spending? Not quite. Military construction is a separate item. Most of the items here seem reasonable. But House Military Construct ion Appropriations Subcomittee member Andre Crenshaw (R., Fla) is proposing $26,360,000 for a fitness center at Mayport Naval Station. Ten miles from Mayport is the Jacksonville Snap Fitness Center, whose member ship is $44.95 a month. The earmark could provide over 48,000 year-long Snap Fitness memberships for the 60,400 personnel and families at the base, including retirees.
Under State and Foreign operations, $17,000,000 has been granted to the International Fund for Ireland. As for the aptly-named THUD (Transportation and Housing and Urban Development), Senate THUD Appropriations Subcommittee member Sam Brownback (R., Kan.), Sen. Pat Roberts (R., Kan.) and House appropriator Todd Tiahrt (R., Kan.) have granted $2,000,000 for the National Institute for Aviation Research. Major aerospace companies are among it clients, well able to foot the bill for this program.
The Pig Book – it’ll just make taxpayers of all persuasions squeal with outrage.
posted by Belle | 12:04 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home