Animal Shelters, Sculpture Gardens, and your $7,000 Tax Hike

Washington's spending averages out to more than $22,000 per household. At this rate, Washington will have to raise taxes -- in less than a decade -- by $7,000 per household just to balance the budget.

Spending bills for the Transportation, HUD, and Treasury Department budgets include things like:

• $200,000 to build an animal shelter in Westerly, Rhode Island
• $500,000 for a sculpture park in Seattle
• $950,000 to build a parking lot for an Omaha, Nebraska, museum

Sen Tom Coburn (R-OK) tried to strip those three projects from spending bills. His effort was defeated 86-13 in the Senate. (Monterey County Herald)