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.
$18,500,000 for the International Fund for Ireland
-My great-great-great-great Grandfather would be grateful for this generous help, but the potato famine ended over 150 years ago. Didn't Congress get the memo? How about we nix this appropriation, and we can all help the motherland by drinking Jameson’s and Guinness for New Years?
$220,000 to renovate a blueberry research facility at the University of Maine
-Sen. Olympia Snowe (R.-Maine) didn’t think the government had enough money to give you a decent tax break, but it does have enough money to squander on blueberries. Is it bad to hope her teeth turn blue?
$400,000 for the Davenport Music History Museum in Davenport, Iowa
When your Senator (Chuck Grassley, R.) is the finance chairman, and your congressman (Jim Nussle, R.) is the budget chairman, you can count on many such goodies at taxpayers’ expense.
$50,000 for the Imaginarium Science Center in Anchorage to develop science exhibits and "distance discovery modules."
-Alaska, again! I don’t even know what a "distance discovery module" is, but I’m thinking of moving up to Alaska just so I can get my money’s worth from my taxes.
