At the Trough

Congressmen often argue that pork is money spent someone else's district or state.

That's not always the case.

Chris Edwards of the Liberterian Cato Institute writes in an op-ed for the Pittsburg Post Gazette that there are some things Congress just shouldn't be paying for. He cites examples in the 2005 budget:

• $350,000 for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland
• $218,000 for a seafood plant in Oregon
• $250,000 for an Alaska statehood celebration
• $250,000 for sidewalk repairs in Boca Raton, Florida
• $1.4 million for upgrades to Ted Stevens Airport in Alaska
• $100,000 to Rochester, New York for a film festival

He points out that some things should be privately funded. Other items should be locally funded. And there are other projects that local agencies -- rather than Congress -- should decide are needed or not. (Post-Gazette)