RSSIntegrity of Continuing Pork Barrel Projects
Dennis AuBuchon | March 20, 2009
The definition of pork barrel legislation as defined by Answers.com is a government project or appropriation that yields jobs or other benefits to a specific locale and patronage opportunities to its political representatives. This practice continues even with the commitment to reduce this type of activity. I do agree that sometimes legislation is placed in this category by mistake. There are cases, I believe, when funds are being given to specific locales where they may be in the best interest of the entire country. However, legislation that is considered pork barrel should for the most part be non existent. The amount of money expended to these types of projects can best be put to better use.
Pork barrel legislation in many cases gets attached to spending bills which must be passed. This type of activity needs to stop. As a voter I want my Senators and Representatives at the national level to promote or create legislation that is in the best interest of the country and not the specific locale which they represent. We as the constituents of these political representatives appreciate money coming back to our state or locale. It often times creates jobs that may be needed to keep local economies going. This may be one case where this type of legislation would have some benefit and should be funded. However this type of legislation should have some guidelines established to qualify for funding. If guidelines do exist they should be followed or revised. Those projects which do not qualify under the conditions established should not be allowed to proceed. This is irrespective of which party is processing the legislation.
Recent events with the collapse of the bridge in Minnesota may signal needed changes. The safety of our bridges should be a priority for the state and federal government. This is not a statement that people involved did anything wrong only that the decisions on what was to be funded must be reviewed. The decisions that were made and are made at the state and federal level should be reviewed to determine needed changes in funding priorities. Funds should be allocated for projects that affect the safety of all citizens. In respect to pork barrel projects I believe if many of these would be eliminated that cannot stand on their own that enough money may be available to address some of the situations that affect the safety of all citizens.
It is true that the federal government has some responsibility for funding to support state needs. However the state should properly identify the funding needed for bridge repair and safety. There have been some reports indicating that money allocated from the federal government is $8 billion dollars and it was stated that $20 billion should be spent each year over the next 20 years. The state only has so much money and it is costly to maintain and/or replace bridges in need repair or replacement. This event should be a wake up call for us as citizens. The methods and priorities that are established both at the state level and federal level should be reviewed to determine why money was not allocated to this bridge and others like them.
Another condition that needs to be reviewed is the amount of time needed to obtain funding for these types of important projects such as bridge repair or replacement. I as a citizen cannot understand why it takes so long to review, pass legislation and provide the funding to get these projects started and completed. I have seen reports that it may take as many as 20 years to complete a new bridge. While I would not want the work to proceed at a faster pace than is safe I do feel that it is much too long of a time to complete a bridge replacement. I understand that smaller bridges would take less time but the length of time necessary to replace a large bridge must be reviewed to determine if the length is appropriate.
Funding programs through Congress is a detailed process. It involves generating the paperwork to establish the need then it must be reviewed by a committee. Once the committee has completed its review it goes forward to the full body whether it is the Senate or House of Representatives. As such, a project competing for funding which does not meet the best interest of the country absorbs valuable time best spent elsewhere. It is a difficult task to make decisions on which projects of this nature should be funded. This however, is a duty our Congressmen should take seriously. We as voters must look at the common good and voice our opinion on bills being processed for enactment. Legislation that is beneficial for the country should be enacted. We must voice our opinion on what bills we support based on the merits of the legislation and those we do not. This type of activity while more visible at the national level probably exist at the state level.
To summarize it appears pork barrel legislation is alive and well within our national legislature. It is time for our senators and representatives to establish a strict set of criteria to qualify pork barrel legislation for funding. These criteria should be such that it eliminates any legislation that cannot stand on its own merits. This I believe should be a primary requirement. Legislation considered to be pork barrel that would not survive on its on should not be funded. There is also a need to separate funding for any qualified pork barrel legislation away from bills that must be passed. It is wrong to attach this type of legislation to other bills that are needed.
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