December 22, 2008

the pork report -- how Washington politicians, bureaucrats, and lobbyists are spending your tax dollars

CONGRESS HAS BEEN NAUGHTY… TO TAXPAYERS: Congress’ approval rating drops to single digits again click here to read more

CONGRESS HAS BEEN NICE… TO ITSELF: Congress gives itself a $2.5 million pay raise click here to read more

Congress earmarks $3.2 million to construct a military blimp that the Pentagon does not want click here to read more

Mismanaged New York park received $1 million from the federal government to perform the same projects it received $1 million to do just 8 years ago click here to read more

California non-profit that has received $1.6 million in taxpayer funding to expand housing for people with developmental disabilities “has done little to further its core mission, instead directing three-fourths of its spending to its own management” click here to read more

$200,000 congressional earmark to Maine town pays to build a walking trail to what may someday be a whitewater park; “The dream of a whitewater-recreation bonanza for the town still lives” click here to read more

In 2006, the federal government spent $149 million on museums with 44 percent awarded via congressional earmarks; With numerous federal agencies providing museum funding, most are receiving some form of taxpayer assistance click here to read more

Department of Homeland Security underwriting National Public Radio, but listeners aren’t happy and taxpayers shouldn’t be either click here to read more

Another auto bailout? Integrity Automotive seeks $150 million to $200 million from the Department of Energy to produce electric cars click here to read more

Michigan town gets a face lift with funding from multiple federal façade programs click here to read more

· New Hampshire town names bridge, paid for with a congressional earmark, after the senator who got the money, even though he is neither a resident of the town nor deceased click here to read more

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December 19, 2008

the pork report -- how Washington politicians, bureaucrats, and lobbyists are spending your tax dollars

FBI agents paid to watch movies, exercise, wash clothes, and attend cocktail parties; FBI paid up to $7.8 million in improper overtime and wages between 2003 and 2007 click here to read more

“Gross mismanagement and waste” undermining the Hazardous Materials and Emergency Preparedness grants that give states millions of dollars to improve responses to hazardous materials spills; Grantees spending grant money on unauthorized activities, such as setting up and traveling to conferences click here to read more

POLITICAL SCIENCE: Congress distributed $1.7 billion of National Institutes of Health research funds based upon political parochial interests rather than scientific merit click here to read more

National Heritage Area pays to create a poster of aging garages in Michigan town; A lecture and guided tour is also planned click here to read more

$250,000 FEMA grant pays for an Iowa welcome center click here to read more

Federal education grant funding being allocated based upon the percentage of public forest lands in school districts rather than size of student enrollment click here to read more

Grocery store in Illinois looks to expand its base with the help of a federal grant aimed, including $10,000 to bolster its marketing efforts click here to read more

Montana mansion getting a million dollar make-over paid for, in part, with a $500,000 federal grant click here to read more

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December 18, 2008

the pork report -- how Washington politicians, bureaucrats, and lobbyists are spending your tax dollars

Food and Drug Administration spending $1.5 million to pay a firm to improve morale at the agency’s drug division click here to read more

Vermont received a $150,000 federal grant to conduct a census of barns in the state click here to read more

Connecticut town officials spending nearly $15,000 of federal funds to replace a bus shelter that was destroyed by a motorist because the city failed to recover the costs from the driver’s insurance company click here to read more

U.S. Department of State and Department of Education will “celebrate the benefits of cross-cultural exchanges” with three “Global Classroom Awards,” in which each winner will receive $1,000 to send students abroad or to put towards increasing global awareness; Winners will also receive complementary registration, accommodation and airfare to take part in a conference click here to read more

Despite state budget cuts that have curtailed services and furloughed workers, more than half of South Carolina agencies increased their travel spending, with much of it being paid for with federal funds click here to read more

Pennsylvania state official’s lobbying for an appointment in the new President’s Administration included a trip to Washington in his taxpayer-funded state car click here to read more

Town officials claims that thousands of dollars spent on out of state travel to conferences is justified click here to read more

Alabama city spending $480,000 federal grant to “modernize the look of downtown by replacing the more than 30-year-old, almost flat canopies” click here to read more

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December 17, 2008

the pork report -- how Washington politicians, bureaucrats, and lobbyists are spending your tax dollars

National Science Foundation sponsors workshop on the search for extraterrestrial life click here for more

· A new center, funded by a $7.5 million NASA grant, dedicated to the search for extraterrestrial life in the universe click here for more

· National Science Foundation project details role of the United States in increased human rights violations click here for more

· $2.4 million congressional earmark paying for a retractable canopy at an outdoor amphitheatre in West Virginia click here for more

· $5,000 federal grant to Massachusetts library will provide new programs including social networking and “monthly discussion groups on controversial movies and documentaries” click here for more

· $327,000 of federal grant intended to renovate doctor’s medical practice misspent to pay for doctor’s mortgage and credit card bills and his son's college room and board click here for more

· The Navy keeps an average of $7.5 billion worth of spare parts and other goods with no foreseeable need click here for more

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December 15, 2008

the pork report -- how Washington politicians, bureaucrats, and lobbyists are spending your tax dollars

School district’s $22,000 federally funded attempt to feed kids fresh fruit results in an outbreak of rashes click here for more

Pentagon program designed to show public support for troops in war zones misspent about $9 million on “questionable” public-relations activity, including salaries for program managers ranging from $312,821 to $662,691 click here for more

The Pentagon spent more than $1 billion developing a vehicle that is overweight, sprung leaks and constantly broke down click here for more

Some 170 lobbyists for public colleges and universities hold conference in San Diego to discuss how to protect their institutions from budget cuts click here for more

New Jersey received $746,739 from the Federal Highway Administration’s Recreational Trails Program and another $300,000 was set aside for trails for off-road vehicles, like all-terrain vehicles and dirt bikes click here for more

The Odyssey Dance Theatre and its artistic director owe the IRS nearly $700,000 in back taxes and penalties, but that has not prevented the company from receiving roughly the same amount in public arts funding over the past decade click here for more

$15,000 spent to provide voice mail for the homeless and other ways the federal government wasted your tax dollars in 2008 click here for more

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service pursue visitors’ center at a fish hatchery at the same time it reported that it would face a $2.5 billion shortfall click here for more

Muralist who received $5,000 to do two murals with federal funds says his work should have cost $250,000 click here for more

Minnesota bike center costs U.S. taxpayers thousand of dollars click here for more

Federal grant pays to hire a parking consultant for Newburyport, Massachusetts click here for more

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December 11, 2008

the pork report -- how Washington politicians, bureaucrats, and lobbyists are spending your tax dollars

Researchers will spend the next thee years measuring the motion of video game systems thanks to $112,781 grant from the National Science Foundation click here to read more

Maryland county commission president credits spending public money to purchase and provide alcohol to officials at meetings for securing millions of dollars in federal funds click here to read more

National Science Foundation spends $119,660 for study measuring how housecats move in pursuit of food treats or feline toys click here to read more

Survey paid for with an $8,750 federal grant finds that most shoppers in Wenatchee, Washington, are not interested in living downtown click here to read more

Men tend to have more reddish skin and greenish skin is more common for women, according to federally funded study click here to read more

$100,000 Department of Transportation grant to pay for a 10-foot observation deck for bird-watching along the Mississippi River click here to read more

$400,000 federal grant will pay for a 10-foot-wide, all-weather bike trail along an Illinois river click here to read more

New high school football stadium paid for with a $200,000 congressional earmark click here to read more

Federal agencies’ research concludes plant seeds dispersed by birds benefit most quickly from landscape corridors; Researcher says this was an expected result click here to read more

Scavenger hunts to help train young journalists funded by the National Science Foundation click here to read more

$1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation pays to take North Carolina teachers on field trips to businesses that use math and science every day click here to read more

Federally funded study blames climate change for the decline of the Roman and Byzantine Empires more than 1,400 years ago click here to read more

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December 10, 2008

the pork report -- how Washington politicians, bureaucrats, and lobbyists are spending your tax dollars

Toledo uses federal grant to fight gang violence with a greenhouse and fresh produce click here for more

$143,000 federal grant paid the salary of an HIV education prevention coordinator who is a convicted child rapist click here for more

$114,800 federal grant will create an international gateway sign, an interpretive sign, and a recreational guide for an Idaho highway click here for more

Small Pennsylvania airport trying just about anything, including offering free flyover flights, to claim it had enough passengers this year to qualify for a $1 million federal subsidy click here for more

Anchor Yacht Club members and local officials receive $120,000 federal grant to develop a riverside plan for Pennsylvania town click here for more

Through the help of a federal grant, six Russian teachers enjoy a three day trip to Washington, D.C. click here for more

More than $1 million in federal funds spent for conferences, stipends for summer events, and substitute teachers for history teachers attending workshops on history click here for more

$440,000 federal grant to transform a railroad bridge into “the Walkway Over the Hudson,” a 1.25-mile trail spanning the Hudson River click here for more

Federal grants of up to $7,500 are available to promote new or existing farm stands or farmers markets in Pennsylvania click here for more

More than $100,000 in federal grant money will be spent for recreation projects ranging from trails to playground projects and a skate park in Maine click here for more

Tampa housing agency loses $2 million in federal funds due to poor management; Audit report calls the management “poorly devised and dysfunctional” and “inept” click here for more

$300,000 National Park Service grant will pay for upgrades to water-powered cotton spinning mill in Rhode Island click here for more

Lawsuit filed against the Department of Housing and Urban Development for approving Mississippi’s plan to divert half a billion dollars from hurricane housing aid to a port expansion project. click here for more

Access to affordable housing for Katrina cross the Gulf Coast, FEMA still has 9,850 applicant households in temporary housing units click here for more

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December 9, 2008

the pork report -- how Washington politicians, bureaucrats, and lobbyists are spending your tax dollars

From the Lobster Institute to the Woodstock Museum, TIME counts down the top 10 most outrageous congressional earmarks of the year click here to read more

Dance, Dance Revolution music video game consuls, rock walls, and fitness equipment purchased for Connecticut town’s public schools with a $314,212 federal grant click here to read more

$25,000 federal grant will support Newark, New Jersey’s effort to find a new, more artistically appealing, design for its low-rise housing click here to read more

Chamorro-English dictionary project funded by the National Science Foundation (The Chamorro are the indigenous people of the Mariana Islands of which there are about 177,000 worldwide) click here to read more

National Science Foundation funds the first complete dictionary for the Menominee language, which is spoken by only 40 of the tribe’s 8,800 members click here to read more

200-year-old building in Alaska is getting a makeover, thanks in part to a federal grant click here to read more

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December 8, 2008

the pork report -- how Washington politicians, bureaucrats, and lobbyists are spending your tax dollars

Three Pentagon executives received cash awards of about $30,000 for outstanding leadership even though their agency has a history of weak management and strained employee relations; “This level of management displays all of the malignant attributes attributed to entrenched bureaucracy,” according to one analysis click here for more

Speaker of the House earmarks $1,034,000 to combat public urination in San Francisco click here for more

DC developer’s projects, paid for with tens of millions of dollars from HUD, marred by unchecked spending and dubious deals for family and friends click here for more

Politicians’ Defense earmarks help lobbyists and campaign contributors, not combat troops, investigation finds click here for more

Proposed $45 billion federal economic stimulus bill has “already succeeded in stimulating a stampede among” local governments seeking “free” money for local projects click here for more

Rhode Island town seeks $1.5 million to replace six traffic lights as part of the proposed stimulus package click here for more

Federal government spends $26.8 million to construct an arena in Youngstown, Ohio click here for more

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December 5, 2008

the pork report -- how Washington politicians, bureaucrats, and lobbyists are spending your tax dollars

National Institute on Aging study finds that knowing someone who is happy makes you more likely to be happy yourself click here to read more

New Hampshire charges the federal government $67,000 for upgrades to a mobile command van that is in storage; Upgrades included a $5,800 television, a $1,200 satellite television antenna, and a $16,000 satellite television subscription that includes the Game Show Network and the Travel Channel click here to read more

Van’s total cost charged to the federal government will be $412,000; State Liquor Commission Chairman says “In my view, this represents a triumph of bureaucracy over common sense. … we probably spent $100,000 reviewing this.” click here to read more

City council pulls the plug on $2.3 million congressional earmark for a childcare center in an Illinois town that failed to get off the ground click here to read more

17 Missouri trail projects will receive $1,174,393 from the federal Recreational Trails Program click here to read more

Department of Education analysis finds that the $6 billion spent on its Reading First program had had “no impact” on kids’ reading comprehension click here to read more

Federal officials have frozen $25 million in transportation funds intended for North Carolina because the state doesn’t have a management plan showing where the money goes and how it’s spent click here to read more

The American Folk Festival has received $60,000, still organizers are concerned about fundraising for the 2009 festival click here to read more

$500,000 Federal Highway Administration grant will restore Michigan theater to its original 1882 Second French Empire design click here to read more

Delays in NASA’s Mars mission could add $400 million to the price tag, which is likely to top $2 billion click here to read more

Illinois grocery store receives a $10,000 federal grant to pay for its marketing efforts click here to read more

Seattle housing program used public funds to throw a private party that included a $700 tab for hot dogs and chips, $559 for chocolate truffles and alcohol, and nearly $400 for furniture rental click here to read more

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