When it comes to a "bridge to nowhere" or a Lawrence Welk Museum, politicians are quick to shake an angry fist at their peers across the aisle. But when it comes to election year vote courting, the House of Representative turns into a veritable Pork-apalooza.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her fellow Dems campaigninged in 2006 against the "culture of corruption" in Washington as exemplified by the shameless use of tax dollars for local projects. With their seats of power on the line, however, pork projects have risen nearly 7 percent this year, according to a study by Taxpayers for Common Sense.
The number of pet projects approved by the House this year is 4,367, up from 4,149. And the amount of money spent on these projects? $5.12 billion, up from $4.8 billion the year before.
