Comments on: The true cost of pork spending

By: Camden Y

Camden Y — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 10:05:26 +0000

Pork barrel spending is the real issue in today’s government. The problem of wasteful spending and earmarks is especially difficult to solve because members of both political parties are equally eager to spend tax dollars on worthless and unnecessary "pet projects." In this regard, there is no difference between the two political parties. But a certain project by the government details the “pork” spending done by the federal government every year. It is known as the Citizens Against Government Waste. If more people had their hands on it, a lot of legislators would doubtless put an online cash advance to stop it. The CAGW makes the Pig Book available for free download and a hard copy of the yearly report available for a cash donation. The donation asked for isn't huge, so you can get a copy of the Pig Book of government pork without worrying about short term loans.

By: Floyd

Floyd — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:20:51 +0000

This article is completely plagarized from a report done by a right-wing attack squad of the Tennessee Republican Party. The report was nothing more than partisan posturing.

The writer might try investigating “pork” spending at Austin Peay. Maybe then he wouldn’t be so quick to absolve its president and try to blame everything on Nashville.

By: Bill Larson

Bill Larson — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:05:00 +0000

On the switch grass issue, I would perfer they grow switch grass for ethonol production instead of using food crops for that purpose. That and the rising price of oil is why the prices of food stuffs have been shooting through the roof. It takes less money and energy to produce ethonol from switch grass rather than corn.

But yields from a grass that only needs to be planted once would deliver an average of 13.1 megajoules of energy as ethanol for every megajoule of petroleum consumed—in the form of nitrogen fertilizers or diesel for tractors—growing them. “It’s a prediction because right now there are no biorefineries built that handle cellulosic material” like that which switchgrass provides, Vogel notes. “We’re pretty confident the ethanol yield is pretty close.” This means that switchgrass ethanol delivers 540 percent of the energy used to produce it, compared with just roughly 25 percent more energy returned by corn-based ethanol according to the most optimistic studies. – Scientific American

I also strongly support the ferry in Benton county. I have operated ferries for the state in the past and know the economic, social, and other benefits that arise for the local communities from their presence. So while it’s not a money maker by any means of the imagination, it serves a vital function for the communities that they connect.

* As a disclaimer, I am also friends with the man whose company is contracted by the state to run the ferry operation, but that had absolutely no role in forming my opinion on this matter.