We support the troops (at a price)
The latest war funding bill would not have past had it not been for the $20 billion of pork spending included.
(examiner.com) Like their counterparts in the House, the Senate has larded its version of an “emergency†war spending bill with nearly $20 billion in pork-barrel outlays, including $100 million for the two major political parties’ 2008 presidential conventions.
The $121 billion bill includes $102 billion for the troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as $14 billion for Hurricane Katrina aid and more than $4 billion for “emergency farm relief.â€Â
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The Senate bill is $18 billion more than President Bush requested for military operations. The House bill, which passed last week, exceeded the administration’s request by $21 billion and included money for spinach growers, peanut storage and citrus farmers.
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The $100 million for the political party conventions  $50 million for the Democratic convention in Denver and $50 million for the Republican convention in St. Paul, Minn.  is included in a section described as “Katrina recovery, veterans’ care and for other purposes.â€Â
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The new bill also includes $13 million for “ewe replacement and retention,†$24 million for sugar beets growers and $95 million for dairy producers.
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And it includes $3.5 million for the Capitol’s guided–tour program and $20 million for, in part, insect infestation control in Nevada, thanks to Majority Leader Harry Reid.
Among the other beneficiaries of the Senate “emergency†war bill is the tree assistance program, including, specifically, Christmas trees. (source)
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