Porcus Politicus

By CJP | October 17, 2008

  After months of hearing John McCain promise to cut "pork" from the federal budget, a Jane wrote to CJP yesterday to ask the obvious question, "Just what exactly is pork anyway?"

"Pork" is from the Latin, "porcus" (we're not kidding), meaning pig, but the term you'll hear in politics is "pork barrel spending."  It refers to the way Congress or the White House adds funding for local projects to an otherwise unrelated bill in order to get support for it.  

Let's say we want to make October 18th National Nap Day, but we don't have the votes to get our bill passed.  In order to get Nisha's vote, we're going to add $500,000 to repave the road in front of Nisha's house, and she's going to vote for National Nap Day.  See how everybody wins, sort of?

Look no further than the bailout bill for a recent, and fairly egregious, example of how pork barrel spending works.  After the bill failed to pass the House the first time, the bill's sponsors larded it up with $150 billion in tax breaks and spending on everything from NASCAR tracks to wooden arrow manufacturers to debris removal from hurricanes in Texas.  The bailout passed, the Treasury Secretary and NASCAR picked up their checks, and you'll get your bill for the whole thing next April 15th.

Citizens Against Government Waste publishes a list of all pork barrel spending, with John McCain's help, in their annual "Pig Book," and every day at SwineLine.org.  There's a reason legislation is compared to sausage making, gals, and this is it.

Topics: Congress, Economy, Glossary

One Response to “Porcus Politicus”

1. Jillian Says:
   October 17th, 2008 at 12:40 pm

   Why has this issue been totally glazed over by the mainstream media in this election?

Comments