2005 Pig Book

[Tigermike 3,050]

 

2005 Pig Book Exposes

Record $27.3 Billion in Pork!

(Washington, D.C.) - Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today released the 2005 Congressional Pig Book, a sweeping compendium of the pork-barrel projects in the federal budget. 

Congress spent more tax dollars on pork this year than in any other year in history.  For fiscal 2005, appropriators stuffed 13,997 projects into the 13 appropriations bills, an increase of 31 percent over last year’s total of 10,656.  In the last two years, the total number of projects has increased by 49.5 percent.  The cost of these projects in fiscal 2005 was $27.3 billion, or 19 percent more than last year’s total of $22.9 billion.  In fact, the total cost of pork has increased by 21 percent since fiscal 2003.  Total pork identified by CAGW since 1991 adds up to $212 billion.

“Despite a record $427 billion deficit predicted for fiscal 2005, members of Congress are engaging in the worst form of blatant self-interest; larding the budget with pork for home districts and states,” CAGW President Tom Schatz said.   

Examples of pork in the 2005 Pig Book include:

* $10,000,000 for the International Fund for Ireland;

* $3,000,000 for the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation;

* $1.7 million for the International Fertilizer Development Center;

* $1,430,000 for various Halls of Fame, including $250,000 for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tenn., and $70,000 for the Paper Industry International Hall of Fame in Appleton, Wis.;

* $350,000 for the Inner Harmony Foundation and Wellness Center in Scranton, Penn.;

* $100,000 for the Tiger Woods Foundation; and

* $100,000 for the Bach to School Program.

The 2005 Congressional Pig Book Summary is the little pink book available in paperback; it details 470 of the most egregious examples of pork, gives pork per capita rankings by state, and calls out the worst offenders in Congress with the annual “Oinker Awards.”  The 13,997 projects in the complete Pig Book are available in a searchable database here.     

“Whether for ‘inner harmony’ or attracting tourists, a member of Congress will give any number of reasons why a pet project is essential, even if it means circumventing the budget process to pay for it,” Schatz continued.  “But after 15 years of tracking congressional excess, CAGW has found that pork projects rarely accomplish the lofty goals set by members of Congress.  The true legacy of pork is its contribution to the $7.8 trillion national debt.”   

Citizens Against Government Waste is the nation's largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.

http://www.cagw.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=8832

[Auburn85 432]

This is rediculous. But hey, the schools in some areas maybe being down the tube, but that community may very well get that park they've been wanting

It would be a good move,If you cutt out half of that pork and let it go towards the deficit

[Piglet 0]

Man, I assumed "International Fertilizer Development Center" was another name for Congress.

I wonder who the worst offenders are. I expect you'll find lately it's the Republicans, because the party in power gets to run the trough. Democrats were the worst when they had the committee chairs. The trick is to elect enough from each party that they can ostruct the excesses of the other.

[Auburn85 432]

That's why so many Congressmen continued to get re-elected no matter how piss poor their voing record is because they bring home the pork for parks, ballfields, ect.