Earmarking already on the rise this year

It’s an election year and our government is wasting no time pissing away taxpayer money:

This year’s defense authorization bills in the House contained earmarks worth $9.9 billion, an increase of 29 percent from last year. In the Senate version of the bills, the number of earmarks increased 40 percent from last year but the dollar amount fell slightly.

Earmarks in the House version of the labor, health and human services appropriations bills for the 2009 fiscal year soared to $618.8 million from $277.9 million in the 2008 bill.

Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-Texas), chairman of the House Select Committee on Intelligence, supported a $4 million appropriation for defense contractor Digital Fusion, the employees of which have donated $24,000 to the Congressman.

$400,000 for horseshoe crab research in Virginia- HUH!? Are they researching a new form of “THE CRABS”, because this could be helpful.

$870,000 to protect a red wolf breeding facility- And this helps us how?

$500,000 for methamphetamine prevention in the Mark Twain National Forest- Do you know what real methamphetamine prevention is? You let the stupid asses blow themselves up. The National Forest may get burnt down, but what the hell it will teach them a lesson.

$700,000 for beluga whale research at Alaska’s Cook Inlet- I’m guessing they think the beluga whale will prevent the polar ice caps from melting.

$115,000 to train “the next generation of weather forecasters” at San Jose State University- Well, we could always use better weather forecasters. Maybe these guys will predict a hurricane a month in advance.

$700,000 for atmospheric detection equipment for the sheriff in Jacksonville, Florida. What? The sheriff needs atmospheric detection equipment? Atmospheric detection is the study of the causes of lightning as well as analyzing a wide variety of atmospheric measurements related to thunderstorms. Okay then.

Well, you should be getting the picture, just read the full story.

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