The wasting of OUR tax money

Citizens Against Government Waste releases a yearly report called the Congressional Pig Book. This report details how the people which we elect (and often reelect) waste OUR tax money on pet projects and earmarks. You can buy the complete report on their website here. I am going to purchase a copy. They do have a summary file, the 2008 Congressional Pig Book Summary, which is in .pdf form and can be downloaded for free. It is OUR money, its taken from us at the point of a gun and we have very little say as to where or how OUR money is spent.

From the free version:
"The 1,188 projects, totaling $2.8 billion, in this year’s Congressional Pig Book Summary symbolize the most egregious and blatant examples of pork. As in previous years, all of the items in the Congressional Pig Book Summary meet at least one of CAGW’s seven criteria, but most satisfy at least two:
• Requested by only one chamber of Congress;
• Not specifically authorized;
• Not competitively awarded;
• Not requested by the President;
• Greatly exceeds the President’s budget request or the previous year’s funding;
• Not the subject of congressional hearings; or
• Serves only a local or special interest."

I will concur that a select few of the projects listed may be worthwhile and I may not have included them in my list of pork. However, there are some real "doozies" in there and I think taxpayers should know where THEIR money is going.

Interestingly it appears that the presumptive republican nominee, John McCain, requested ZERO earmarks. Hmmmm.....I am beginning to like him more and more each day.

However, 2 of the biggest porkers aren't pleased with the public knowing where OUR money is being spent. From the free summary version:
'"Those peckerwoods don't know what they're doing. They don't. They're not being realistic.' The King of Pork, Senator Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.) on National Public Radio, July 19, 2001......'All they are is a bunch of psychopaths.' CAGW 'Oinker' Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) Associated Press, December 26, 1999."

I guess wanting to know where MY tax money is being spent makes me a "peckerwood" and a "psychopath." Fine, I can live with that. I've been called worse things by better people than Robert K.K.K. Byrd and Ted Stevens. I was surprised to see that Robert KKK Byrd didn't have an earmark for "sheet" cleaning.