Who Ya Gonna Call? "Porkbusters"

It's long been a truism that cutting pork is an idea that everyone's behind in theory and yet no one's behind in practice. There's just no real constituency for it. Getting a million dollar rest-stop built on a highway with federal funds-- that has a constituency.

It will be interesting to see if blogs can animate and link the inchoate anti-pork silent majority in the country.

People tend only look at the pork their state is getting. But if this "Porkbusters" thing takes off, people can see the pork other states are getting, and may very well decide that it's just better for the economy and their own wallet if their state forgoes its boondoggles in exchange for the other 49 states (and Guam) giving up theirs as well.

Two things blogs do well are 1) exposing information that's freely available to the public but little examined and 2) generating a bit of anger. Coupled together, blogs actually could reduce porkbarrel spending.

Bush and the "conservative Republicans" in Congress obviously aren't going to do that on their own.

Tips Appreciated: If you see some pork, let me know.

posted by Ace at 10:03 AM

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