Pork, Pork, Pork, Pork...

[rpm]

link

Last week, the Senate voted overwhelmingly to pass a new highway and mass transit bill totaling nearly 300 billion dollars, the most expensive public works bill in the nation's history. The legislation will create new highway and bridge projects, rail and bus facilities and recreational areas, with billions of additional dollars earmarked for other yet-to-be-determined likely terrorist bombing sites.

The bill passed the house by a vote of 412 to 8, and the Senate 91 to 4, marking a huge victory for bipartisanship and proving that if there's one thing politicians can agree on, it's screwing taxpayers.

How so? Watchdog groups have identified more than six thousand projects valued at $23 billion that critics say are wasteful, pork barrel rewards for lawmakers' home districts. In fact, nearly one billion dollars is allocated just for special projects in Alaska, like a mile-long bridge that connects the Alaskan mainland to a small island with 50 residents. A source close to those islanders say they look forward to one day crossing the bridge, going "huh," and returning home.

Included in the porkfest is a new $35M road in front of WalMart corporate HQ. This was a bipartisan bending over the pork barrel of the American taxpayer.

[Charon]

I don't know all that much about the specifics of this bill, but it is related to my industry and I know of a couple of pure pork handounts.

Prescription drug fiasco bill...
Energy “spend it while you got it” bill…
Highway “pay the toll” bill…

Yet we just grin and bear it. A huge part of the problem, besides us as being lazy and ignorant citizens, is the lazy, careerist mainstream media that gives half-assed coverage of these things -- and that’s on a good day.

Charon

[Charon]

Included in the porkfest is a new $35M road in front of WalMart corporate HQ.

We should send an invoice to the Chinese for that one.

Charon

[slimm50]

Only $23 billion, out of $300 billion? phtttthh...chump change.

j/k

seriously, I'm thinking right now "how far would that $23B go toward world peace?" or just toward solving the Iranian nuclear (pronounced new-klee-ur, Mr. President) problem? oh, oh, wait...hunger in America...or shoring up our southern border...