Security or Pork? A Review of National Homeland Security Funding Boondoggles (PDF; 77 KB)
Source: The Offices of Congressman Anthony D. Weiner (D-NY) and Congressman Jeff Flake (R-AZ)
From press release:

While New York and other large, high threat U.S. cities compete with small cities and low threat states for vital anti-terror dollars, millions of dollars that are supposed to fight terror are actually going to the very worst kind of pork barrel programs.

Under the current system, for example, funding for New York City terrorism cops could be spent on bulletproof vests for dogs instead. In fact, Columbus, OH spent $7,348 on 11 bulletproof vests for dogs in 2005. And when questioned about the purchase, Ken Morckel, director of the Ohio Department of Public Safety defended his decision by saying, “I challenge anyone to spend $8 billion and not find something to pick on.”

What will these cities do with anti-terror funds? Hard to tell, but here’s a possible list:

FUNDED WITH FEDERAL HOMELAND SECURITY DOLLARS:

• Alaska: Security Cameras for Fishing Village (pop. 2,400) — $202,000
• Arizona: A Tactical Robot for the City of Peoria — $15,000
• California: Kennels for Stray Animals in Modoc County — $3,500
• Indiana: Truck for A County Employee to Commute to Work — $30,000
• Indiana: Gym Equipment, Nutritional Counseling & Fitness Instruction — $55,000
• Kentucky: A Grant to Protect Bingo Halls from Terrorists — $36,200
• Maryland: Eight Large Screen Plasma Television Monitors — $160,000
• Ohio: Bulletproof Vests for Dogs — $7,348
• South Dakota: On-Site Paging System for the State Agricultural Fair — $29,995
• Texas: A Custom Trailer for the October Mushroom Festival — $30,000
• Texas: A Trailer Used for Lawnmower Drag Races — $3,000
• Wisconsin: Onalaska (pop. 16,150) Fire Dept. Clowns and Puppet Shows — $8,000

This entry was posted on Friday, March 2nd, 2007 at 7:13 pm and is filed under Government and politics, Terrorism. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.