You're gonna hate this, Kenneth...
Here is a small excerpt from the 2004 pork book. Please note the MASSIVE spending from BOTH sides of the aisle. Too bad the neither party is fiscally conservative. I guess politicans are MORE concerned with buying votes, eh?
I. AGRICULTURE
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has a very strict policy of not requesting state- or commodity-specific research grants through the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES) special research grants program. Unfortunately, Congress has a strict policy of not listening to USDA. In fiscal 2004, appropriators provided $111 million for CSREES projects, or 3,164 percent more than the budget request of $3 million, and earmarked all of the funding. Total agriculture pork in fiscal 2004 was $365 million, or 23 percent less than the fiscal 2003 total of $478 million. The number of projects decreased 8 percent, from 559 to 512.
$19,569,000 added by the Senate for projects in the state of Senate Agriculture Appropriations subcommittee member Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), including: $4,860,000 for the Jamie Whitten Delta States Research Center in Stoneville; $1,400,000 for the Delta Conservation Demonstration Center; $900,000 for cattle and nutrient management in stream crossings; $885,000 for advanced spatial technologies; $524,000 for aquaculture; and $134,000 for an extension specialist.
$14,534,000 for projects in the state of Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Herb Kohl (D-Wisc.) and the district of House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member David Obey (D-Wisc.), including: $3,690,000 for the Nutrient Management Laboratory in Marshfield; $2,000,000 for the Global Environment Management Education Center at Stevens Point; $900,000 for a cooperative agreement with the Sand County Foundation; $788,000 for urban horticulture; $540,000 for the Babcock Institute; $270,000 for potato storage research at the Agriculture Research Service Laboratory in Madison; $225,000 for grazing research; and $108,000 for the Conservation Land Internship Program.
$9,929,000 for projects in the state of Senate Agriculture Appropriations subcommittee member Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and House Agriculture Appropriations subcommittee member Tom Latham (R-Iowa), including: $1,800,000 for the Iowa Biotechnology Consortium; $1,200,000 for Hungry Canyon/Loess Hills erosion control in western Iowa ; $630,000 for the Midwest Poultry Consortium; $405,000 for agriculture-based industrial lubricants; $293,000 for hoop barns; $270,000 for livestock waste; $252,000 for the Iowa Vitality Center; $120,000 for the Tipton Creek Watershed Project; $100,000 for the Trees Forever Program; and $18,000 for agriculture law at Drake University in Des Moines.
$7,227,000 added by the Senate for projects in the state of Senate Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Robert Byrd (D-W. Va.), including: $4,337,000 for the establishment of a Geographic Information Center for Excellence in cooperation with West Virginia University; $675,000 for aquaculture product and marketing development; $621,000 for agriculture waste utilization; and $160,000 for poultry litter composting.
$7,701,000 added by the Senate for projects in the state of Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), including: $1,073,000 for seafood harvesting, processing, and marketing; $630,000 for rural development; $568,000 for alternative salmon products; $360,000 for seed research; $315,000 for food quality; $200,000 for staff positions in Palmer; $180,000 for seafood waste in collaboration between the Agriculture Research Service and the University of Alaska; $180,000 for berry
research; and $135,000 for salmon quality standards.
$6,072,000 for projects in the state of Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Robert Bennett (R-Utah), including: $1,100,000 for the Dry Creek and Neff’s Creek Project; $900,000 each for air quality research in Logan and at Utah State University’s Space Dynamics Laboratory; $797,000 for botanical research; $675,000 for drought management; $300,000 for the Utah CAFO/AFO Pilot Project; $270,000 for the Forage and Range Research Laboratory in Logan; and $225,000 for pasture and forage research.
$3,850,000 added by the Senate for projects in the state of Senate Agriculture Appropriations subcommittee member Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), including: $2,800,000 for technical assistance for the Kentucky Soil Erosion and Soil Survey Program; $450,000 for a waste management research project in collaboration with Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green; and $400,000 for a cooperative agreement with Western Kentucky University.
$6,106,000 for wood utilization research (Alaska, Idaho, Maine, Mich., Minn., Miss., N.C., Ore., Tenn., Wash., and W. Va.). Since 1985, $79 million has been sapped from the taxpayers for this research.
$4,860,000 added by the House for projects in the district of House Agriculture Appropriations subcommittee member Sam Farr (D-Calif.): $4,500,000 for the U.S. Agriculture Research Station and $360,000 for verticillium wilt.
$3,768,000 for shrimp aquaculture research (Ariz., Hawaii, La., Mass., Miss., S.C., and Texas). Since 1985, $61 million has been appropriated for this research, which has become a staple of the appropriators’ diet.
$1,609,000 for the viticulture consortium (Calif., N.Y., and Pa.). Taxpayers will have sour grapes over this project.
$1,460,000 added by the Senate for projects in the state of Senate appropriator Harry Reid (D-Nev.): $540,000 for the improved nutrient management and protection of water resources; $470,000 for the Nevada Arid Rangelands Initiative; and $450,000 to establish a plant materials center in the vicinity of Fallon.
$570,000 for conservation related to cranberry production (Mass., Wisc.).
$270,000 for wool research (Mont., Texas, and Wy.). This project truly is fleecing the taxpayers.
$238,000 added by the Senate for the National Wild Turkey (NWTF) Federation in Edgefield, S.C. According the group’s website, “The NWTF is a half million member grassroots, nonprofit organization with members in 50 states, Canada and 11 other foreign countries.” With 500,000 members, this organization could raise $225,000 with just another $2.22 per member. Instead, our tax dollars are going to the birds.
$220,000 added by the House for the Grassland Soil and Research Laboratory in the district of House appropriator Chet Edwards (D-Texas).
$200,000 added by the House for the Weed It Now Program in the Taconic Mountains (Ct., Mass., and N.Y.). Unfortunately, appropriators did not weed out the bill’s egregious earmarks.
cagw.org
BTW, you can download the entire book of pork here:
cagw.org
Enjoy!
Diz- |
