Hog Heaven: Our Man In Washington

Peter Welch’s pork votes

            One of the major reasons for the termination of the Republican Congress last year was its disgraceful habit of larding up appropriations bills with earmarked pork spending. So now the Democrats are in charge, and do you think they have heard the outrage of the voters who gave them control after twelve years in the minority?
            Apparently not. But at least some of the Republicans did. So far this year they have offered fifty amendments to strip pork from spending bills. Only 16 members, all Republicans, scored a perfect 100%. The average Republican voted 43% against more pork. The average Democrat voted two percent against more pork.
            A hundred and five congressmen – 81 Democrats and 24 Republicans – voted against every single amendment to trim out the pork.
            Here are some examples: A Democrat from Pennsylvania got $2 million for a paint shield for protecting people from microbial threats. The motion to strip this out failed 91- 317.
            Another Democrat, Rep Charlie Rangel of New York, got $2 million to create the Rangel Center for Public Service in his district. The motion to strip that out failed 108-316.
            Congressman John Murtha, an infamous porkmeister, got a million for the Center for Instrumented Critical Infrastructure in his district, despite the fact that no one could prove such a center existed.
            So how did Vermont’s freshman Congressman vote? Peter Welch missed one of the 50 votes, but on the other 49 he voted for the pork… every single time.

                                John McClaughry, Ethan Allen Institute