State of the Pork Address, Pig Book details $17.2 Billion Dollars Worth in 2008.

Posted 16 weeks 1 day ago by The Big Klosowski

The "Pig Book" for 2008 is out and it's very interesting this year.

This year's "Pig Book" from the nonprofit Citizens Against Government Waste details some of these congressional earmarks : $7.5 million spent on grape and wine research; $460,000 for research on hops; and $3 million to $72,000 for the National Wild Turkey Federation in Edgefield, S.C., to name just a few.

All told, Congress has set aside $17.2 billion in earmarks -- a 30 percent increase from last year.

As for this year's presidential candidates, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., is the porker of the pack, having secured 281 earmarks worth a whopping $296.2 million.

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., received 53 earmarks for his state, worth $97.4 million.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has never asked for an earmark.

2008 pork includes:

$3 million for "education programs that promote character development and life-enhancing values through the game of golf"
$188,000 for the Lobster Institute in Maine (which includes TheLobstercam.com)
$3 million for shrimp research
$4.8 million for wood utilization research
$148,950 for the Montana Sheep Institute
$742,000 for olive fruit fly research -- $211,000 of which will be spent in Paris

Some of the "Oinker of the Year" 2008 awards go to:

The Halls of Shame Award for $1.4 million for various Halls of Fame, including: $75,000 for the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame and $70,000 for the Paper Industry Hall of Fame.

The Goofy Earmark Award for $300,000 for Anaheim Resort Transit (read: Disneyland) bus and bus facilities in the district of Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.)

La Pork-a-Racha Award for $25,000 for the Clark County School District in Nevada for curriculum development to study mariachi music.The Fiscal Unfitness Award for $6.7 million in YMCA funding.

The Hogzilla Award to Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) for his $646 million in pork for Alaska.

The Crouching Tiger, Hidden Pork Award for $100,000 for the Tiger Woods Foundation.

The Pirates on the Potomac Award for $2 million for the buyback of the USS Sequoia Presidential Yacht.

The Burrowing a Hole in our Wallets Award to Representative John Peterson (R-Pa.) for adding $100,000 for the Punxsutawney Weather Discovery Center Museum.

The Flipping the Byrd at the Taxpayer Award to Senator Robert Byrd (D-W. Va.) for his $399 million in pork for West Virginia.