Stacy Tabb's logo for InstaPundit's and New Zealand Bear's PorkBusters blogathon.
We laughed at Rep. Markey's spokesman when he acknowledged there may be pork in other parts of the country, "But I don't think it applies to our projects." Now we have to laugh at ourselves. Googling for local pork to call to the attention of our own Representative and Senators as part of InstaPundit's and New Zealand Bear's PorkBusters blogathon, we found ourselves thinking the same thing. That sweeping six-year federal highway bill passed by the House last March -- the one that includes a bike trail on Cape Cod -- also includes $8 million to repair the Chelsea Street Bridge.* We're talking a key link in a major route between the north shore and Boston, a bridge that must be opened and closed frequently to allow the passage of oil tankers up and down the Creek. It's just down the pike, a ten-minute walk from here. But back to the subject at hand, pork projects in the 8th District. . . Well, that was easy. This from the August 4 Boston Herald:
Citizens Against Government Waste reported that the 2005 Homeland Security Appropriations Act funded 64 earmarked projects, a 256 percent increase over the 2004 bill. The fiscal watchdog group put the Homeland pork price tag at $1.72 billion. Among their favorites - and ours - were three special port security grants totaling $208,100 to Premier Yachts, Inc, which runs those charming dinner cruises on the Odyssey in Boston Harbor (and similar wining and dining ventures in Chicago and Washington, D.C.). You'd think a company which had revenues of $40 million in 2003 would be able to find $200,000 from its own budget to keep its paying customers safe. But why do that when the taxpayers will foot the bill?
Indeed. Click here to add a slab of your own pork to the cracklin' pile.
Technorati tag: porkbusters.
*Update: EGAD. Citizens Against Government Waste considers our Chelsea Street Bridge project pork -- for FY 2004 -- after all. Here's their rationale.
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