Take the No-Pork Pledge

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, with hysterical criticism being levied against the federal government, and with President Bush promising more than $50 billion in relief, how many Congressmen do you think will be interested in making sure that the taxpayers’ money is well spent? Yeah, that’s what I think, too. Louisiana’s politicians have long been recognized as masters of pork, and they have plenty of company.
There is, remarkably enough, at least one organization bold enough to swim against the tide and demand that Congress not use the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina as an excuse for another round of self-interested but wasteful spending: the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste. Citizens Against Government Waste has created a “Hurricane Katrina No Pork Pledge,” which you can read about here. The pledge was unveiled at a press conference day before yesterday, which was attended by the following worthies: Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.)[Ed.: To his great credit], Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas), Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD), Rep. Tom Feeney (R-Fla.), Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA), Rep. Steve Chabot (R-Ohio), Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ), Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA), and Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC).
It would be a good idea to call or email your Senators and Congressman and encourage them to take the pledge. You can be sure that pretty much all the pressure on this issue will be coming from the other direction.