^Pork, it’s “The Other White Meat,” according to the National Pork Board.

As a physician, Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., likely is a fan of the other white meat, since it is generally considered to be a healthy meat.  Another kind of pork, however, is decidedly unhealthy for America, according to Coburn.

Oklahoma’s junior senator is waging a campaign against so-called “pork barrel” spending, in which members of Congress load spending bills down with unrelated items that will benefit their home states.^

The practice of earmarking — tacking funds for a pet project on a larger spending bill — is nearly as old as Congress itself, but Coburn said it’s time for that practice to end.

Coburn recently won a 51-44 vote to eliminate $15 million for a seafood promotion program. The earmark was tacked onto a $108 billion spending bill to pay for the war in Iraq and relief for Hurricane Katrina victims.

His successes have been rare, however. Last year the Senate voted 82-15 not to drop a $223 million earmark for a bridge between Ketchikan, Alaska, and tiny Gravina Island, with a population of about 50. Under media pressure, Congress later decided to cut the bridge but allowed Alaska to keep the $223 million for other road work.

Coburn said he thinks earmarks put into larger spending bills are stealing money from future generations.

“We’re trying to change the culture to do oversight and to hold people accountable,” said Coburn.

Coburn’s stance has ruffled a lot of feathers, both in Oklahoma and in Washington, but we agree it’s time to begin slicing Congressional pork considerably thinner.

He is getting some quiet support from fellow senators, but they need to join Coburn in becoming more vocal in their opposition to pork barrel spending.

Coburn’s crusade is beginning to attract media attention, not all of it flattering. But any attention is good for Coburn in his efforts to make voters aware of just how much money is spent every year on pork barrel projects. Ultimately it is the voters who must hold their elected representatives accountable.

And the pork isn’t growing only in the Senate. According to the House Appropriations Committee, 21,863 project requests have been received from representatives, about 50 for each lawmaker.

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