Have you ever wondered how much "pork" your representatives bring home? Well this website is for you. If you are in the dark about what “pork” is, then I will try to shed some light on it. Pork is another name for “earmarks” or money that your representative puts in legislation that will then be spent in your hometown. Some recent pork that you might have heard of is this bridge to nowhere. Or maybe the Woodstock Museum.So how much money are our politicians wasting taking home. Well let’s take some sample districts.
Nancy Pelosi (D)—For fiscal year 2006 Ms. Pelosi decided that she needed to spend $709,251,842. That is .2% of pork spent for 2006.
John Boehner (R)—For fiscal year 2006 Mr. Boehner (Republican leader in the house) took home $546,282,014. That ranks 51st as most pork in the country.
Jim Cooper (D Congressman for Nashville)—Jim brought Nashville $202,042,568. That ranks 138 on the list.
If there is one thing that makes me a strong conservative it is fiscal responsibility. Seeing these numbers is outrageous. I understand that some money needs to go back to districts for infrastructure and other important things…but the fact that a politician is able to take home hundreds of millions of dollars…our dollars…is unacceptable. As long as we allow it…it will continue to happen.