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Political Extra Blog Index
April 02, 2008
Pork, er, lobster

Every year, the Citizens Against Government Waste, a government watchdog group, compiles the Congressional Pig Book, a list of the pork-barrel projects in the federal budget.

The 2008 Pig Book identified 11,610 projects at a cost of $17.2 billion in the 12 Appropriations Acts for fiscal 2008. The group defines pork as "a line-item project in an appropriations bill that designates tax dollars for a specific purpose in circumvention of established budgetary procedures."

The group singles out specific earmarks for an "oinker" award and, thankfully for us here at PoliticalExtra, the group singled out a project for Maine.

"The Taxpayers Get Steamed Award" goes to to GOP Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe and Rep. Thomas Allen, a Democrat, for $188,000 for the Lobster Institute.

We'll dig into the Lobster Institute later, but for now check out the Pig Book here.


Posted at 04:31 PM

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Tom Bell has covered numerous beats for the Portland Press Herald since 1999, including education, marine, business and the Maine Legislature. He worked nine years at the Anchorage Daily News, including a year as a correspondent in the Russian Far East following the break-up of the Soviet Union.

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Dieter Bradbury is the Press Herald's political correspondent. His career at the newspaper started in 1980, and includes 21 years as a reporter and seven as an editor. Bradbury is a graduate of the University of Southern Maine.

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Kelley Bouchard has been a staff writer at the Portland Press Herald since 1998, covering a variety of municipal beats and statewide issues. A Lewiston native and University of Maine graduate, she previously worked in Massachusetts.

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Justin Ellis has been a reporter with the Portland Press Herald since 2003. He has covered politics on every level and also writes a weekly column on culture and young people as well as the NXT blog. He is a graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism.

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Matt Wickenheiser has been at the Press Herald for six years. Wickenheiser is a native of Madawaska and a 1994 graduate of the University of Maine. He thinks his first politcal memory is of waving to First Lady Rosalyn Carter.


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