Texas ranks 4th in amount of 'pork-barrel' spending

[dogday]

Watchdog group says Congress OK'd $403 million last year for special projects in state


By SAMANTHA LEVINE
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON - Texas raked in the fourth-largest amount of federal funding in the nation last year for special projects sought by its congressional delegation, according to a report released Wednesday on "pork-barrel" projects.

The $403 million for the state came in the form of "earmarks" attached to appropriation bills. Earmarks have come under scrutiny as part of the congressional lobbying scandal because some special projects are requested at the behest of lobbyists.

California ranked first at $734 million.

All told, Congress approved 9,963 such projects costing a record-high $29 billion for 2005, according to Citizens Against Government Waste.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/3774496.html

[Ian David]

1. Can we give Texas back to Mexico? n/t

[Avalux]

2. Hey! I live in Texas. Let's do something BETTER -

Let's give Texas back to the Democrats and get rid of these repug losers who have made such a mess of things here. ;-)

[Ian David]

5. Just move to Massachusetts...

In twenty years, we'll have the same weather that Texas has now.

[w8liftinglady]

11. lol..yeah...

[texastoast]

3. No, we'll go back to being a separate nation

Jealous?

:eyes:

[Ian David]

6. Give Texas to Mexico and make California independent

I wouldn't be jealous of an independent Texas run by people like Tom DeLay.

As for California... Arnold in California... is a faddish novelty.

Okay, if Kinky Friedman becomes Governor of Texas, you can be Americans again.

[texastoast]

9. Texas has spent many more years being a Democratic state

than a Republican, and there are many of us working our asses off to return Texas to the Democrats.

We continue to have an influx of new residents with the bumperstickers "I wasn't born in Texas but I got here as fast as I could," some of whom apparently really appreciate the likes of Tom DeLay and assisted in his rise to power which took the clueless Democrats by surprise a couple of decades ago. I just wish those people would have stayed home and would leave now and take their broods.

Kinky Friedman voted for George Bush in 2000 and in 2004. I have it on good rumor that his petition drive is financed by the RNC, I'm guessing because our current Governor Goodhair is on thin ice, and splitting the Democratic vote is in the best interests of the RNC. To those "Democrats" I say that you are playing directly into the hands of strategists of the ilk of Karl Rove. Kinky's quirkiness appeals to some "Democrats" who have no problem with, for one thing, his extreme sexism, his lack of experience, and questionable ideas on policy, if they know anything about him at all outside of his "entertainment skills."

Kinky is not my choice. Chris Bell who brought down Tom DeLay was born here, lives here, and I'm damned proud of his courage. I will vote for him for governor.

[Ian David]

10. Alright... you guys in Texas get one more chance in 2008...

but after that... Amnesty is over.

We'll come and take all your mechanical bulls, and confiscate your chili recipes.

And then we're closing the border.

[texastoast]

12. You will never get my chili recipe

without a missing ingredient. :P

And if the Dems do a good job, they might get our 34 electoral votes. To that end, I toil.

:kick:

[Liberal In Texas]

4. It also says...

"Texas, the nation's second-largest state in population, consumed pork at a relatively low per capita rate, ranking 47th in the nation. It received an average of $17.65 per person."

Why does a Texan want to start a Texas-bashing thread?

[TahitiNut]

8. Even ranking per capita spending is a half-truth.

Unless one includes per capita federal revenues and assesses the net of revenue less spending, the true picture does not emerge. For example, California is held up as the largest recipient of 'pork' but, since it's also the largest in terms of population and among the largest in terms of per capita revenues, it's actually relatively low (in negative numbers) in terms of net 'pork.'

[Neil Lisst]

7. 4th?! We ought to be 2nd, behind only Cali, Cali, goin to Cali