A GOVERMENT FOR THE PEOPLE?

Per a recent E-mail I learned, "A cat's urine glows under a black light" -

Ever wonder how much our government paid to figure out that one?

There is a debate going on these days (you're kidding!). Someone is suggesting we need to cut government spending. Others say, "That's no way to get re-elected."

It would appear the latter group is winning for nobody would argue losing pork barrel projects is the path for Redemption, or more importantly, in the minds of politicians -re-election..

It is not a new trend for those of us who have been around for a while. Former President Jimmy Carter had the audacity to try and cut funding for the B-1 bomber arguing that the $1 billion dollar bomber was an error of chronology (anachronistic) in a world of intercontinental missiles.

He failed. He also was not re-elected (1977 - 1981). Today the B-1's allegedly are located at various military bases - largely unused.

The folks who drew the short end of the straw in their debate position on the subject of spending reduction are scratching their collective heads as to how to successfully argue for the elimination of pork barrel projects.

That's "pork barrel" not "pork belly" projects. Regardless of how many efforts there may be to eliminate the latter - who among us wants to give up bacon? That's communistic. No BLT's?

And, therein lies the problem. We taxpayers want to reduce taxes, increase government benefits, vote out the "wrong thinking politicians" etc. - but, retain those who "bring home the bacon" in our particular state.

We don't want to be the one who has to sacrifice.

A new course at Harvard Business School might well be titled, "How the Hell did Alaskan voters manage to kick out Senator Lisa Murkowski?" The answer may not be relevant should Lisa survive the counting of absentee ballots scheduled to commence next Tuesday.

Ms Murkowski is alleged to be a "Princess of Pork" winner, for all of you alliteration fans out there.

You see, it's still that old argument we referenced in a recent blog, "Well, everybody else is doing it!", that allows the pork barrel givers to have more longevity than right handed people have over lefthanders.

No mention is made in that latter study as to the fate of "right minded" people. Perhaps they couldn't find a large enough sample to assure an appropriate standard deviation.

Per The Christian Science Monitor ( you probably have a couple boxes of back issues hidden somewhere in the garage) "the defense budget in 2011 (including veterans' benefits and defense energy costs) will be $861 billion (that's a lot of B-1's) - or more than all other countries in the world - combined." ( Hey, a billion here - a billion there - pretty soon it starts to add up.)

Columnist Cal Thomas quotes Rep. Barney Frank (who does that these days?) and his report that identified nearly $1 trillion in possible budget savings if the Pentagon budget was " pared" back through 2020.

Thomas goes on to use the illustration regarding the "alternate engine" for the Joint Strike Fighter and compares it to the " Bridge to Nowhere". It seems Congress has "earmarked" (pork ears?) more than $1.2 billion for this since 2004, according to the watchdog group "Citizens Against Government Waste"

Oh yes, forgot to mention, "the Pentagon has said repeatedly it doesn't want or need the engine- both the Bush and Obama administrations have tried to eliminate it - but, Congress refuses to relent "

It is needed", they say, in concurring with their constituents.

Too many decisions in Congress are related to two goal statements: - "lobbyists largesse" and "how do I get re-elected". And still, we refuse to get behind a campaign for us to solely (or is it soul-ly) finance the elections. That would effectively demasculate the Insurance lobby - the NRA - the bankers lobby, the teachers union, etc, etc etc.

Here's an idea then. If we're unwilling to take the only sensible action to keep the lobbyists out of your living rooms via campaign ads - why don't we start a movement to financially support watchdog groups - who announce their findings?

It would seem that just our natural native curiosities would cause us to want to know who it is (specifically) that is causing us to think of robbing banks and grocery stores in order to obtain medicine, formula, baby food, and Pampers for our babies.

It's not that members of Congress don't understand the "For The People" of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address . It's just that they think it only applies to "Their People."

And maybe, as a result, we Will perish from this earth - (right after the announcement of the lottery winners, of course)..