Pork Projects

Hypocrisy remains alive and well in the U.S. Congress. On the same day the Kansas City Star published a column by U.S. Rep. Nancy Boyda of Kansas complaining about taxes on small business, a government watchdog group criticized her earmark of over $1 million for a prison museum in Lansing, Kan. To her credit, Boyda is one of few lawmakers who has publicized her earmarks. Most other lawmakers do it quietly, avoiding publicity. But she should understand that it is pork projects like this, and thousands of others like it, that force high taxes on small business and individuals.

Who believes that a prison museum should be a national priority truly deserving of federal support? No one, except for a handful of local politicians and supporters looking for what they hope will become a tourist attraction. Boyda and the prison museum are another example of why politicians of both parties should be working to reform such a wasteful system.