Pork Barrel Tech Projects On The Rise

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."

Comments

Hear!

[NaeRey]

Democracy... = Corruption!!
Go with Despotism, I tell ya!! Despotism!
Or wait..
I mean, Communism!

Re:Back In The USSR

[kryten_nl]

I'm so sorry, I just can't resist:

In IRAQ the military spends you...

Re:One man's pork is another man's state-craft.

[Breakfast Pants]

With universal health care will will have a population explosion amongst latinos, catholocism at it's best.

Re:It's ONE party

[demachina]

"The other thing to understand is if American's really wanted fiscal spending, then it would happen."

I am relatively sure the vast majority of American's want their taxes reduced. American's universally hate the IRS and payroll taxes, they just can't do anything about it.

It is probably true they could care less if spending is or isn't cut to pay for their tax cuts, and if the U.S. destructs one day under a massive debt burden. After all American's wrongly think they can use credit cards to make ends meet. But this is the role national leaders and economists are supposed to fill, to insure the U.S. budget and the national economy are on a sound footing, something ALL of today's leaders are failing miserably at because they are both corrupt and incompetent.

I want payroll taxes completely out of my life and would gladly sign a sheet of paper renouncing all future claims to social security, medicare or unemployment insurance to get it. I would give anything to opt out of the Democrat's Socialist agenda. I want to make my own way in the world, and live or die based on my choices and not have a nanny state making my decisions for me. I want money I make in my pocket and not disappearing in to a bureaucracy possibly never to be seen again.

I want nothing to do with funding the American military at its current size, nor with sinking $400 million in insane wars like the one in Iraq, nor do I want to live in an ever expanding police state, nor do I want my tax dollars going to subsidize giant corporations who don't need it and who should sink or swim in free markets on their own merits. I opt out of the Republican agenda too and most Americans probably would as well if they really thought about it today. The Republican rank and file is increasingly sick of the monster the Republican party has turned in to I was in a small minority before the war that saw through the web of lies used to justify it, but since then most Americans have come to their senses and realize it was a war based on lies, and a massive waste of their money and American lives. I'll support a military adequate to defend the U.S. from aggression but that is a small fraction of what we have today.

I think you are wrong, American's do want a return to sane and thoughtful government with fiscal responsibility. The fundamental problem is there is an entrenched two party system which has a stranglehold on the ballot box. Neither party is offering people the government they really want, and both parties are aggressively snuffing out any viable independent or third party to protect their monopoly on power. People hold their nose and vote for the lesser of two evils but nearly everyone hates it at this point. If there was a viable alternative with savvy, responsible leaders offering fiscal sanity, defense instead of offense, and an end to corruption American's would be there in a heart beat.

The problem is in an $10 trillion dollar economy any party that gains power is very likely to be completely corrupted in a heart beat which is what your post suggested. There also aren't many great people left who would devote their lives to public service without the promise of a big payoff for themselves and their friends.