In an effort to keep the American people informed about where their tax dollars are going and to keep politicians accountable, we are bringing to you a regular list of pork projects delivered fresh from the fiscal 2004 omnibus spending bill.
The Senate has yet to vote on the Omnibus Appropriations Bill, so it's not too late to defeat it. You can contact your Senator by dialing the Senate switchboard and asking for your Senator's office: 202-224-3121.
$1,000,000 for the State of Michigan for costs associated with the relocation of the A.E. Seaman Mineral Museum.
-A million dollars to move a museum run by the State of Michigan? Gov. Jenny Granholm (D.) is having a hard time balancing the budget, but she has a little help from her friends. Special thanks to Sen. Carl Levin (D.-Mich.), the same man who was carefully pinching pennies last year on national missile defense (see "Levin Tries to Kill Missile Defense").
$750,000 for Montgomery County, Md. for pedestrian linkages in Silver Spring.
-Mongomery County is one of the wealthiest (and left-leaning) counties in the nation with one of the highest tax rates in the region. They still want their place at the federal trough-"oink, oink."
$100,000 for the International Storytelling Center, Jonesborough, Tenn.
-"Let me tell you the one about the Senate Majority Leader from Tennessee." I remember when parents just read to their children at home. It built strong families, and it was free.
$1,000,000 "for the development of exhibits for the World Food Prize" by the State Historical Society of Iowa.
-You can't make this stuff up. A million dollars for the World Food Prize? That's not just outrageous-it's unsatirizable.
