$225,000 to fix a pool in Sparks, Nevada. That's one Congressman's idea of setting this country right for fiscal year 2004. Rep. Jim Gibbons (R-NV) stuck on the item in the Omnibus Spending Bill because he's felt guilty ever since he clogged the pool up with tadpoles when he was ten.
Perhaps Rep. Gibbons has forgotten that most children in Iraq don't even have running water.
The most revolting part of the appropriations process is how individual congressmen dole out funding to frivolous pet projects. Instead of asking federal agencies or local governments to award grant money in a competitive process, Congress bypasses that process and gives money out to grant seekers who have the most effective lobbyist or someone else to curry a Congressman's favor. If the Senate approves the bill in January, total spending on these little critters will total about $23 billion.
No comments:
Post a Comment