Federal spending in 2005: $2.154 trillion
Federal budget deficit in 2005: $0.318 trillion
Total pork spending in 2006: $0.029 trillion
Does anybody else see the problem with making pork a priority, at least if one is serious about significantly reducing either the budget deficit or the size of government?
If anything hurts this party, given the state of the Democrats today, it’s going to be that we slam each other to the ground trying to climb on our respective high horses of True Republicanism. I’ll let the religious right police their own, and for my part I’ll make this reminder to the small government wings of the party: ending pork will not shrink our government or the deficit appreciably, so cut the hyperbole and find something substantive to work on that doesn’t involve regular potshots at our Congressional majorities.
Source for spending and deficit: CBO. Source for pork spending amount: CAGW.