Massachusetts City Shouldn't be so Proud of New Monument 

(Washington, D.C.) – As the city of Springfield, Mass. today celebrates the grand opening of  the Dr. Seuss National Memorial, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) denounced the city and the Massachusetts delegation in Congress for funding the project through an unauthorized earmark of federal dollars.

"We hate to rain on Springfield's parade, but Massachusetts voters should be disappointed at the illegitimate manner in which this project obtained federal dollars.  Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) and the Massachusetts Congressional delegation earmarked $950,000 of federal money for this project through the Economic Development Initiative program, without authorization or a competitive bidding process," CAGW President Tom Schatz said. 

"Thanks to this corrupt process, the Dr. Seuss Memorial will be long remembered as an infamous item of federal pork barrel," Schatz added.  "Even while Massachusetts pols complain that government lacks sufficient funds to meet real needs, they had no qualms about abusing the appropriations process to divert resources from the 2001 VA/HUD Appropriation for a million-dollar hometown boondoggle."

The Dr. Seuss National Memorial features a sculpture garden of bronze statues depicting Dr. Seuss along with several fictional characters from his stories, including Horton the Elephant, Yertle the Turtle, and Thidwick the Moose.  According to the monument's official website (www.catinthehat.org), "It is hoped that, by memorializing Dr. Seuss and his work, a new generation of young people will find inspiration in the world around them."
"Far be it for me to question the inspirational value of Thidwick the Moose, but if Springfield, Mass. wants to honor the city's 'favorite son,' perhaps next time the people of Massachusetts could pay for it themselves – either voluntarily or through local taxes.  What are the chances people in South Dakota or Washington state will ever see this monument?," concluded Schatz.  "The federal government has higher priorities other than green eggs and ham."

Citizens Against Government Waste is the nation's largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.