The Congressional Hog Report

More from Sun-Times on just how absurd the legislative process has become.

"But the latest revelation about the pork-packed $388 billion Omnibus Appropriations Act -- passed with few, if any, legislators reading the entire bill -- is jaw-dropping in what it says about congressional irresponsibility and cynicism. The bill cut funding for a program to prosecute gun crimes, a project backed by John Ashcroft and even the National Rifle Association.

At issue was $45 million sought by the Bush administration under Project Safe Neighborhoods to fund grants to attack gun trafficking and firearm-related crimes. No thanks, Congress said. Also wiped from the bill, reports the New York Times, was $106 million to track and intercept illegal gun purchases by youths.

Adding insult to injury, John Scofield, a spokesman for the House Appropriations Committee, told the Times: "It's a matter of priorities and there are going to be things you can fund and things you can't."

This is the bill that earmarks federal dollars to protect sunflowers from birds; funding for rock 'n' roll, country music, sports and aviation halls of fame; taxpayer money for the Punxsutawney Weather Museum, a swimming pool in Ottawa, Kan., and a kitchen relocation project in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Now these are priorities! Combatting the black market in guns? Well, that's just something that has to fall by the wayside in lean budget times."

Jaw-dropping indeed. Line-item veto is going to gain ground every time this makes news. If we had a Democratic President it would be a lead story in every MSM outlet. But with Bush in the House, much of the left is hoping the public won't connect the dots. Pundits will attack Congress but propose no solutions. We might see a big push for term limits, but that is dicey because most of the secure Dem seats are longtermers (Kennedy, Schumer, etc.)

This thing could become a sort of domestic Oil-for-Food. When the public really gets their minds around just how bad it is, not even the New York Times will be able to hide it.