U.S. Senator Named "Porker of the Year"
Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) has been "honored" by being named Porker of the Year for 2003.
The highly undesirable award is given by Citizens Against Government Waste, a nonpartisan,
nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, mismanagement and abuse in
government.
Award winners are chosen for outrageous misuse of tax dollars in the form of "pork" --
unjustifiable government grants for local projects awarded directly by members of Congress.
Senator Specter received an appropriately porky 51 percent of the vote, outdistancing
runners-up by a 2 to 1 margin.
Senator Specter earned the organization's ire in October, for stuffing the fiscal 2003
Emergency Supplemental portion of the fiscal 2004 Legislative Branch Appropriations Act with
unjustifiable, non-emergency pork-barrel projects to benefit his home state.
Specter compounded his pork sins by taking advantage of concern over terrorism to boost his
own reelection efforts. He added language to last April's War Supplemental Appropriations
bill to remove limitations on the number of mailings senators can send to their constituents.
While he claimed that this was somehow vital to anti-terrorism, it was clearly a huge benefit
to incumbent senators -- like him.
Far from being ashamed of his award, Sen. Specter seemed actually proud. "It's really nice
to be able to help the home town," he said.
Especially, one presumes, with other people's money.
Pork barrel spending has become epidemic in Washington. Last year Congress spent $22.5
billion on pork -- the highest-ever total. And that record will likely be broken again this
year, thanks to porkers like Specter.
Finishing second was Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), who has a long-standing reputation for
bringing home the bacon. Senator Stevens' powerful position as Chairman of the Senate
Appropriations Committee has allowed Alaska to lead the nation in pork per capita year after
year. In fiscal 2003, Alaska received an incredible $610.99 in pork per person, compared to a
national average of $34.33.
Finishing third was Senator Tom Harkin -- another politician using the War on Terror to
feather his own nest. Harkin put $98 million for an agriculture research station in Ames,
Iowa in the War Supplemental Appropriations bill. He defended this by claiming the funds were
crucial to combat bioterrorism in the form of animal disease. The facility had already
received $88 million in pork in the past two years, thanks to Porker Harkin.
More information on all the finalists and their sins against taxpayers can be found at "The
Porker of the Month Hall of Shame" at CAGW's Web site.
(Source: Citizens Against Government Waste:
cagw.org ) |
