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This Earmark Will Have You Howling

This installment of “At the Trough” involves a project that will have you howling for fiscal restraint. The recently passed Omnibus Appropriations Act designates $870, 000 for wolf breeding facilities in North Carolina and Washington. Specifically, the earmark aims to help breed red wolves, an …

Written by Tim Mak on Monday July 6, 2009

Will The Feds Please Pay For My Parking?

In the third largest city of Utah , Provo City , residents are suffering from a most egregious shortage, one that requires immediate government intervention. No, they are not suffering for a lack of food, nor are they afflicted by a painful thirst. Instead, the city faces a rather more …

Written by Tim Mak on Monday July 6, 2009

The Water Taxi to Nowhere

It’s Monday morning, and you’re late for work again. Not to worry, it’s a short water taxi ride into town. You grab the first one available, and, after about ten seconds, you’ve arrived at your destination. Don’t bother paying – the government’s got your fare covered. Step out of your cab, …

Written by Tim Mak on Monday July 6, 2009

Paris... London... Kearney, Nebraska?!

As history has progressed, the financial center of the world has tended to shift increasingly westward. In the 17th century, Amsterdam was widely acknowledged as the core of the worldwide financial system. Later on, London would take this prestigious title, only to be bested by New York in the 20th …

Written by Tim Mak on Monday July 6, 2009

Copper Cops

Tonight, the citizens of Las Vegas, Nevada sleep soundly. Their senator, Harry Reid, is so concerned for their safety that he’s spent endless nights concocting a plan to keep them safe. He knows what ails the residents of Las Vegas, and he cuts through the fog to get things done. To deal with …

Written by Tim Mak on Monday July 6, 2009

Taking Taxpayers for a Bronco Ride

Today’s ‘At the Trough’ features an earmark that was forcibly roped into the 2009 omnibus appropriations act. Federal legislators have recently designated $150, 000 for a rodeo museum in Fort Pierre, South Dakota (population: 1, 991). Some in the area sincerely hope that rodeo enthusiasts from …

Written by Tim Mak on Monday July 6, 2009

If It Smells Like a Pig, It Must Be....Pork

The first segment of "At the Trough" involves an earmark that quite literally benefits the pork industry. In the massive government funding bill currently before the Senate, Sen. Tom Harkin designated $1.7 million for pig odor research in Iowa. According to the Associated Press, hog odor is a …

Written by Tim Mak on Monday July 6, 2009

This Pork Smells Fishy

As we return to ‘At the Trough’, we come across one of the 125 earmarks that Senator Richard C. Shelby has put his name on in the most recent omnibus bill. Yet what distinguishes this one is that it smells a little fishier than most: $819,000 for research on catfish genetics. This public money …

Written by Tim Mak on Monday July 6, 2009

An Earmark to Rinse and Spit

The state of New Mexico is on the hunt, and the federal government has graciously offered to help them in their search. When first mentioned, the word ‘search’ conjures up one of two images for me: the kind of search that involves riffling through couch cushions to find my remote …

Written by Tim Mak on Monday July 6, 2009

What Next -- Earmarks for Sea Monkeys?

Tim looks at an earmark that's anything but shrimpy. The ‘At the Trough’ segment continues, and today we feature an earmark that’s anything but shrimpy. Lurking within this year’s omnibus appropriation act swims a $2.9 million earmark designated for shrimp aquaculture research in Arizona, …

Written by Tim Mak on Monday July 6, 2009

Overview for At the Trough