Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Pork Barrel Tech Projects On The Rise

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the better-than-a-bridge-i-guess dept.

An anonymous reader writes "News.com has a large article up exploring the increase in 'pork barrel'-style technology projects floating through government spending bills. The water-free urinals discussed on Slashdot last year are one such project, as is a 'Virtual Reality Spray Paint Simulator'." From the article: "Earmarks for favored recipients--known colloquially as pork--have become easier than ever for politicians to secure because of the rapid growth in homeland security and military spending, especially if they can find some plausible technological veneer. Exact figures are difficult to obtain, mostly because spending bills tend to be intentionally obfuscated and specifics are usually absent from legislative text. Government watchdogs, however, say earmarks ostensibly related to technology are clearly on the rise."

9 of 217 comments (clear)

  1. Down with big government! by Kelson · · Score: 5, Funny

    Clearly, we need to get some Republicans into power so they can cut down on all this extraneous spending and balance the budget.

    Oh, wait...

    1. Re:Down with big government! by TommyBlack · · Score: 5, Funny

      Bah. Big government is the new libertarianism. Having a big, stupid government that can't do anything right is far superior to having a sleek, functioning government that can oppress its people at a moment's notice.

      --
      Why do my serious comments get modded "funny"?
    2. Re:Down with big government! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Of course. But the Republicans have spent decades portraying themselves as the party of fiscal responsibility and enemies of big government, compared to those "tax-and-spend" Democrats who will just make government big and expensive.

      Your jealousy is so transparent. Don't you realize that the Republicans have perfected spending without taxation? It's true! Stop taxing the rich, our economy grows! Stop all those unnecessary "social" programs those filthy liberals keep harping on about, we suddenly have more money for pork-n-war! Who needs 12 billion for education when there's a perfectly good army to go to right after high school? With careful planning far, far, FAR into the future, the Republicans will steer us toward the fiscal responsibility that Democrats can't manage with tricks like balancing the budget. This current boom to the haves and have-mores will be paid for by the lucky descendents of your great-grandchildren.

  2. Bad image. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Something bothers me when I hear about urinals and spraypaint simulations in 1 sentence.

  3. Pissed off by dotslashdot · · Score: 3, Funny

    I was pissed off about the water free urinals.

  4. An _entire_ generation? by C10H14N2 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Hyperbolic much?

    1. Re:An _entire_ generation? by Pres.+Ronald+Reagan · · Score: 0, Funny

      No, but I've been known to be parabolic from time to time.

      --

      Abortion is advocated only by persons who have themselves been born.
      --Ronald Reagan
  5. Ob "The Young Ones" quote by Rob+T+Firefly · · Score: 2, Funny

    I've told you a million times, don't exaggerate!

    --
    Slashdot Burying Stories About Slashdot Media Owned
  6. Water-free urinals? by Dhar · · Score: 2, Funny

    Ain't that an alley?

    -g.