(Washington, D.C.) – Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) and the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA) today released the 2006 Oklahoma Piglet Book, the definitive guide for reducing waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in the state government, at a press conference featuring Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.). 

Oklahomans are threatened by the rampant loss of tax dollars to fraud and waste.  A public opinion poll taken in August found that 64 percent of Oklahoma voters said they believe the state government wastes between 10 cents and 59 cents of every dollar it collects.[1]  From improper use of state agency credit cards to beefing up special education numbers, the Oklahoma Piglet Book gives enough examples to make any Oklahoma taxpayer cringe, including:

• Taxpayer funded “higher education” courses such as “Spelling and Phonics,” “Pre-College English,” “Beginning Bowling,” “Principles of Floral Arranging,” “Billiards,” and “Puppetry I”; 
• More than $1.2 million in “special project” money earmarked for a southeastern Oklahoma foundation that now is under FBI investigation, including at least $824,474 for a for-profit business, a dog food plant in McAlester;
• $27 million from the state’s motor fuels tax revenue to cover losses stemming from tax credits awarded to Great Plains Airlines;
• $44,000 for a Southeast Asia trip where state officials entertained Vietnamese executives and Communist Party leaders with meals and wine ;
• The state auditor, though he cannot determine how many vehicles the state owns, did identify $21 million in potential cost savings related to the state’s motor vehicle fleet

The Oklahoma Piglet Book combines elements of two perennial CAGW publications, the Congressional Pig Book and Prime Cuts, with OCPA’s knowledge of the Oklahoma state budget.  The report and press conference offer solutions to budget problems, such as a public spending database similar to the one recently established at the federal level by legislation co-sponsored by Dr. Coburn.

The report is available online at www.cagw.org and www.ocpathink.org.  For answers to further questions, to schedule an interview, or to order a hard copy, please contact Alexa Moutevelis (202-467-5318, amoutevelis@cagw.org) or Brian Hobbs (465-602-1667, Brian@OCPAThink.org). 

Citizens Against Government Waste is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.  OCPA is a public policy research organization whose mission is to formulate and promote public policies consistent with the principles of free enterprise and limited government.