there is over $11 billion in unrequested, unauthorized, run-of-the-mill pork projects contained in the 1,182 pages of this conference report. Let’s go through some of the more interesting provisions:
• $200,000 to the West Oahu campus of the University of Hawaii to produce the “Primal Quest” film documentary.
• $225,000 to the Wheels Museum in New Mexico.
• $7.3 million for Hawaiian Sea Turtles.
• $6 million for Sea Lions in Alaska.
• $450,000 for the Johnny Appleseed Heritage Center in Ohio.
• $100,000 to the State Historical Society of Iowa in Des Moines for the development of the World Food Prize.
• $200,000 to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio, for the Rockin' the Schools education program.
• $1 million for Mormon cricket suppression in Utah.
• $450,000 for an Alaska Statehood celebration.
• $225,000 for an Hawaii statehood celebration.
• $175,000 to a city in Missouri for the painting of a mural on a flood wall.
• $90,000 for fruit fly research in Montpellier, France.
• $225,000 to Traverse City, Michigan, for the restoration of an Opera House.
• $250,000 for the Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum.
• $200,000 to the Town of Guadalupe, Arizona, for the construction and renovation of a shopping center.
• $325,000 to the City of Salinas, California, for construction of a swimming pool.
• $100,000 to the city of Macon, Georgia, for the renovation of the Coca-Cola building.
• $100,000 to the City of Atlanta for the renovation of Paschal’s restaurant and motel.
• $900,000 to an economic development association in Idaho to continue the implementation of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial commemoration plan.
• $175,000 to the City of Detroit for the design and construction of a zoo.
• $238,000 to the National Wild Turkey Federation. Speaking of Wild Turkey - you almost need a bottle of it in order to swallow the lack of fiscal discipline in this bill.
• $200,000 for the City of North Pole, Alaska, for recreation improvements. I guess Santa had a tough year and the elves need a little help from the American taxpayer.
• $100,000 for restoration of the Jefferson County Courthouse Clock Tower in Washington State. I’m sure that this is a beautiful clock tower, but probably not what most taxpayers have in mind when they think of economic development, as this project is characterized.
• $220,000 to the Blueberry Hill Farm in Maine for renovations. For $220,000, I can only presume that somebody will be getting their thrill on Blueberry Hill!
While many of these projects may sound comical, they illustrate a badly broken system in need of serious and comprehensive reform. The HUD portion of this bill contains an account that is perhaps the best evidence that this process is out of control. The appropriators included $278 million in this bill for so-called “economic development initiatives.” Mr. President, every single dime of that $278 million was served up as pork. In 40 pages of report language, the appropriators dished out 902 earmarks for everything from theater renovations in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, to quarry upgrades in Nome, Alaska. Sadly, the EDI account in the HUD appropriations bill has become nothing more than a slush fund for the appropriators - completely eliminating any competitive or merit based determinations by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. The only word that comes to mind to describe this practice is “shameful.”
At the same time, I want to comment about some language in the statement of managers language accompanying this conference report that offers a more appropriate approach. Many of the accounts throughout the Department of Justice portion of this bill contain language that allows federal officials, governors and other state and local representatives some discretion in awarding the appropriated funds. While the statement of managers names specific entities in connection with DOJ grants, it also states that funds should be awarded if they are warranted after a proper review. I certainly hope that the agency officials charged with reviewing these proposals will employ a modicum of fiscal restraint, as some projects mentioned, such as $2 million for the “First Tee” program, which teaches youths how to play golf, may not be the best use of our resources at this time.
mccain.senate.gov |
