(Phoenix, Arizona) – Today at the Rose Garden of the Arizona State Capitol Building, the Goldwater Institute, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW), and Arizona State Senator Steve Pierce released the 2011 Arizona Piglet.  This year’s report reveals $1.4 billion million in fraudulent, wasteful, and often downright silly mismanagement of taxpayer dollars.  Examples of frivolous spending include:

• $63,000,000 in subsidies for Tucson’s light rail system;
• $6,200,000 for Visa gift card rewards to purchasers of energy-efficient appliances;
• $354,026 for a flight simulator designed to replicate the sensation of piloting an aircraft while drunk;
• $354,026 to study how insects avoid flying into each other;
• $49,198 to study the effects of alcohol consumption on gambling
• $2,351 toward the production of, among other shows, “Abraham Lincoln’s Big, Gay Dance Party.”

“Arizonans struggle every day in our difficult economy to keep their families fed and clothed,” said Darcy Olsen, president and CEO of the Goldwater Institute. “Fraud, luxuries and projects that offer few lasting benefits are disgraceful and an abuse of the public trust.”

In an effort to curb Arizona lawmakers’ irresponsible spending, the Goldwater Institute and CAGW recommend the formation of state and local independent commissions dedicated to identifying and eliminating waste in government.  The 2011 Piglet Book also recommends Arizona alter its constitutional spending limit so that government spending cannot grow faster than the population.    

“The 2011 Arizona Piglet just scratches the surface on the amount of taxpayer dollars wasted Arizona’s state and local governments,” said CAGW President Tom Schatz.  “In a state facing a $1 billion budget shortfall this year, where the Obama administration’s new Medicaid mandates are expected to cost $11.6 billion by 2020, it is imperative that all the frivolous spending highlighted by the Arizona Piglet be cut immediately.”

Click here to read the 2011 Arizona Piglet.  The Goldwater Institute is an independent government watchdog that develops innovative, principled solutions to issues facing the states and whose work is made possible by the generosity of its supporters nationwide. Citizens Against Government Waste is a private, non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, mismanagement, and inefficiency in government.  For more information visit www.goldwaterinstitute.org and www.cagw.org.