Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Guide to PA political pork



The Associated Press ran a three-part series this week in newspapers across the state about the pork spending by the Pennsylvania Legislature, the very same group of lawmakers who will soon have to decide if they should raise your taxes to continue funding irresponsible spending.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review couldn't help but notice that most of the spending took place in legislative districts held by legislative leaders. Funny how that works out.

From an editorial:

Against the backdrop of Harrisburg seeking more of taxpayers' hard-earned money to cover up its continued profligacy come new details of a long-outrageous practice.

The Associated Press reports that "tens of millions of dollars that support Pennsylvania lawmakers' favorite causes are directed by legislative leaders through a secretive process that appears to benefit some of the leaders' constituents the most."

To wit, Greene County, 56th out of Pennsylvania's 67 counties in population and home to Bill DeWeese, last year's House Democrat leader, ranked first in grant dollars per person, an AP analysis concluded.

Then there's Carbon County. As home to current House Speaker Keith McCall, the Democrats' whip last year, the county that ranks 40th in population ranked second in grant dollars per person.

Read the full editorial at the newspaper's Web site.



Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS