'Pig Book' names congressional porkers

Spencer Collins · #1 (**permalink**) 04-02-2008, 02:32 PM

'Pig Book' names congressional porkers

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A watchdog group critical of pork barrel spending released its latest findings Wednesday targeting the top Congressional "porkers."

Some of the biggest pork projects, according to the group, include a Lobster Institute; the Rocky Flats, Colorado, Cold War Museum; and the First Tee, a program to build young people's character through golf.

Members of Congress requested funds for all these pet projects and thousands of others last year, according to the latest copy of the annual "Pig Book" released by Citizens Against Government Waste.

"Congress stuffed 11,610 projects" worth $17.2 billion into a dozen spending bills, the group said in the report released Wednesday.

The "Pig Book" names dozens of what the citizens group considers the most egregious porkers, the lawmakers who funnel money to projects on their home turf.

More?

'Pig Book' names congressional porkers - CNN.com

Great..we want these porkers exposed..

cnredd · #2 (**permalink**) 04-02-2008, 02:44 PM

Here is a detailed explanation of earmarks and the damage they do to the publics wallet...

Citizens Against Government Waste:

Quote:

Raiding the federal treasury to “bring home the bacon” is a long-practiced, but not ancient, Washington tradition. Year after year, lawmakers debase the political process by directing chunks of the federal budget back to their home districts and states to promote their own re-elections and reward special interests.

The U.S. Constitution grants to Congress the power to spend. Article I, Section 9, Clause 7 reads, “No money shall be drawn from the Treasury but by consequence of Appropriations made by Law.”

Washington insiders have espoused this “power of the purse” to validate Congress’s mushrooming appetite for pork. Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) and Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) have argued that eliminating earmarks would equate to an unconstitutional delegation of spending discretion to the executive branch. Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said that earmarking has been going on “since we were a country.” A spokeswoman for lobbying firm Cassidy and Associates said, “Earmarking has been going on since the time of George Washington.”

It would be hard to imagine a more convoluted, inaccurate, and self-serving interpretation of the Constitution and U.S. history. The Founding Fathers deemed that Congress could only spend money in pursuant to those powers specifically enumerated in the Constitution. The 10th Amendment leaves all other responsibilities to the states.

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