(CNN) - The Pig Book, an annual report detailing the excesses of pork spending, serves up its usual heavy-duty mockery of congressional fat. But this year the meat spit is smaller.
The number and costs of congressional pork projects dropped this year, the Citizens Against Government Waste said in its latest Pig Book issued on Wednesday.
The 9,129 projects in the report "represent a 10.2 percent decline from the 10,160 projects identified in fiscal year 2009, and the $16.5 billion in cost is a 15.5 percent decrease from the $19.6 billion in pork in fiscal year 2009," the group said.
From CNN Politics
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Cutting $4 billion dollars of pork in 1 year – that is real fiscal responsibility.
Even Fox viewers will, sooner or later, have to see where their bread is buttered.
Highlights from this report: the decrease inspartly due to “reforms that were adopted when Democrats took over Congress in 2006.” Get that tea-bagging, anti-big government, vote for purist Republican freaks! The Democrats are responsible for reducing pork. Back to the highlights: “The changes include greater transparency, with the names of members of Congress first appearing next to their requested projects in 2008, letters of request that identify where and why the money will be spent and the elimination of earmarks named after sitting members of Congress in the House." Hmmm, greater transparency, now that’s change we can believe in!
Other funny highlights: They call former Sen. Ted Stevens (a republican, just in case you forgot), Alaska porker extraordinaire. Ha! Now we know why Sarah said he was good for Alaska.
One more highlight (oh, this stuff is too good), they have "The Thad the Impaler Award" for Thad Cochran (republican) because of his $490 million in pork projects for Mississippi.
Keep it up Republicans. How’s that small federal governmenty thingy workin’ out for ya?
And surprise, surprise, republicans still top the list of biggest pigs!
It's about time this happened.
If people think that cutting down a mere $20 billion from the federal budget by eliminating even the broadest definition of what qualifies as 'pork' would fix our deficit, then I suggest you return to elementary school and this time try to pay atention in your math class! (I'm looking at you, Tea Partiers)
Every time its our local Congressperson coming back with some grant, fire truck, ball park, whatever. We ALL love this. Its the same whether its when I lived in California, New York, New Mexico, Missouri (where Kit Bond was the king of pork), Indiana. You even get people complaining they don't get their fair share. But these same people whine about high taxes.
And the fattest pig was a Republican senator. Ah, fiscal conservative anyone? How about Palin's Alaksa? It would freeze over without Federal funds. And her kids get treated by the Indian Health Service. You think she could pay out of her $100k speech fees? REALLY?
Oh, but Obama is spending so much money! Wah! Oh, Wah! Oh, Wah! Bridge to Nowhere! Wah! Oh, yah, you betcha! Bet this.
Spending on public works(schools, bridges and roads) are a good idea in tough economics times. But, to steer monies to a private companies for favor is wrong. All pork is not created equal.
What about the Republicans that receive million dollar envelopes from lobbiests and special Interest groups for votes that favor Corporations over the Average Americans? At least pork is to benefit the district or state that in turn helps its people. These CLOWNS are barking up the wrong tree. Capitalism for 8 years is why we have the deep problems of today. We the people should say never again and kick the Corporate driven GOP to the curb.
yes, the republicans are eating their own now, these people should all vanish off the face of the earth soon. i hope something happen.
Key word here is "Slight" drop in spending. After all it is an election year for congress.
Folks come this fall tell congress what you think of them. No matter what party they represent (after all we know they do not represent We the People).
Tell Congress with your votes "YOU ARE FIRED!"
It`s nice to see less pork spending but still, even if they completely eliminated all pork projects, it would have almost no noticable effect on our long-term debt. It`s simply too small a piece of the pie.
To Keith in Austin, who said yesterday that Ted Deutch was toast:
Not so fast, Grasshopper. Democrat Deutch cooked up a 62% win in Florida. Stick that in your toaster.
I don't have trouble with earmarks as long as they stimulate the local economies where they're being used. If some city wants to put tennis courts in a downtown park, that stimulates the economy. If someone wants to build a bridge to an island of 25 inhabitants, not so much.