Toni,

Thanks for the websites.  I agree with Pat.  I know there are a lot of pet projects being funded, but the information about them is hard to find.

 

Toni B.:

Pat - I just happen to have a couple of websites that address those very issues. Opensecrets.org - CAGW.org (citizens against government waste) Ontheissues.org (how our representatives voted on the issues). Toni

Thank you. Do you know what your congressman has supported recently?  

I know what mine are supporting...I live in WV - the house that Byrd built with pork barrels.  Even though I personally have benefitted by some of his "earmarks" even I recognize that the time is now for stopping the earmarks altogether until the economy gets straight.  When there is less money to go around...you STOP SPENDING.

I guess it's time to put pen and paper where my mouth is...

I don't track every single thing my representatives vote on but I am aware of the big things. Unfortunately in politics we aren't going to agree with our representatives 100% of the time. In my county in particular there is a problem with the "good ol' boy" system which is slowly being eroded. Emphasis on slowly!. I do try to balance my input and write about good things as well as the bad.

Dear All, Then there are the regions where all the reps/Senators radically disagree with you.  My rep is Speaker of hte House Nancy Pelosi, & my Senators are Barbara Boxer & Diane Feinstein.  Just yesterday, I got a call about a bill that Boxer introduced (I don't want to be TOO controversial, so I won't say on what.).  The caller wanted me to write to my reps, but I pointed out that they would all agree on teh bill.  I did pledge to send in $18 for the cause, thoguh ($18 in Hebrew is written out, something like Roman numerals, to read "Chai," which means life -- & it's particularly appropriate in this context.).  If there were a plebiscite on this issue over teh entire SF Bay Area,not just in the City, our reps/Senators might get the message, but we voters aren't entitled to get democratic representation like that ....   Yours in Him, Deb

Dear Pat, If this is too controversial even as I've written it, plese delete this post.  Thanks!

 The problem we're facing is economical, not political. Pet projects as a whole aren't political, as members of both parties have them. All you have to ask yourself is, "Is this a good use of taxpayer's money when the government is deeply in debt already?" Most of the time, the answer is no, but follow your conscience. Pretend like it's your budget, then answer in the common sense, frugal way. Then do your part to let others know about pork barrel projects which are unbalanced and will hurt rather than help the economy. 

Maybe we should define what we mean by "pork barrel." Anyone? 

Dear All, I believe that an earmark, also known as a pork barrel project, is a funding proposal inserted in a very long bill where it won't be read.  Any other definitions?  Yours in Him, Deb

Copied and pasted from Wikipedia The term pork barrel politics refers to government spending that is intended to benefit constituents of a politician in return for their political support, either in the form of campaign contributions or votes. The term originated early in American history, when slaves were sometimes given a barrel of salt pork as a reward and had to compete among themselves to get their share of the handout.[1][2] Typically, it involves funding for government programs whose economic or service benefits are concentrated in a particular area but whose costs are spread among all taxpayers. Public works projects and agricultural subsidies are the most commonly cited examples, but they do not exhaust the possibilities.[3] Pork barrel spending is often allocated through last-minute additions to appropriation bills.

 Here are some examples of pork barrel spending:

 

Excerpt from :  http://www.heritage.org/research/budget/bg1527.cfm

 

Last year alone, Congress added an all-time high of 7,803 pork-barrel earmarks worth about $15 billion to this year's 13 appropriations bills.³ Included among these nearly 8,000 earmarks were novel proposals to extend federal responsibility to such projects as:

• A tattoo removal program in San Luis Obispo County, California ($50,000);
• The Fort Union Trading Post Bike Trail in North Dakota ($500,000);
• The Center on Obesity at West Virginia University ($2 million); and
• An effort to combat "goth culture" in Blue Springs, Missouri ($270,000).⁴

 

jeweledsunshine:

 Here are some examples of pork barrel spending:

 

Excerpt from :  http://www.heritage.org/research/budget/bg1527.cfm

 

Good find!  And the arrogance of the defense! It makes me angry.