"Pork, pork, pork, pork: a pirate's life for me"—anonymous congresscritter

Aye, one o' the hidden costs o' pork barrel spendin': "[Senator Kit] Bond says that when he entered the Senate in 1987, Missouri received only 76 cents for every dollar sent in taxes. The new bill will provide 98 cents, and Bond will push for more. Full parity would return 100 cents expressed as a percentage of total funding; not as many actual dollars will be recycled because of inevitable costs of handling in Washington." Ahoy, in ither words, launderin' money collected as highway taxes in Missouri through Washin'ton D.c. means that e'en if Missouri has e'ery dollar it collected for expenditure on highways "returned" it still loses, cos the real purpose o' the Federal bureaucracy is full employment o' Federal bureaucraps. Listen to th' bureaucraps say, "Ye'll ne'er get me buried booty!" Aye, it seems t' me that at the 'ery least, those "handlin' costs" could be eliminated by Not funnelin' thin's through the feds. Gar. Aye, surely e'en that little would have a beneficial effect when it came time for federal expenditures for thin's like Katrina. (Aye, they might need t' spend less cos more was already already at the state le'el, for one thin'. Aye, me parrot concurs— e'en parrots have the better o' politicians, it seems.) See GM Roper and Michelle Malkin Arrr, for more extensi'e presentations o' how t' handle pork better, and a call t' identify pork in your own state so that you can contact your congresscritters and politely suggest that those funds be di'erted t' Katrina relief. Aye. Arrr, tis' a good thin' Me'd be thinkin'