(Washington, D.C.) - Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW), the nation’s premiere taxpayer watchdog, in conjunction with The Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions, an Ohio-based nonpartisan research and educational institute, today released the 2005 Ohio Piglet Book.  The report details $3.5 billion in wasteful spending in the state’s budget.

“The Ohio state legislature has mismanaged its budget with devastating consequences for the state’s economy,” CAGW President Tom Schatz said.  “They have raised taxes and increased borrowing instead of taking a serious look at eliminating wasteful and unnecessary spending – of which Ohio has plenty.” 

The Ohio Piglet Book combines elements of two perennial CAGW publications, the Congressional Pig Book and Prime Cuts, with The Buckeye Institute’s knowledge of the Ohio state budget.  The Ohio Piglet Book touches on many areas in the state budget where wasteful spending can be eliminated, providing a valuable resource to legislators and concerned taxpayers.  The unnecessary spending includes:

• $2.14 million by the Department of Agriculture to provide research and marketing to local wine makers. 

• $250,000 by the Cultural Facilities Commission on a museum of rock music and memorabilia. 

• $200,030 from the Board of Regents to the Canadian Studies Center at Bowling Green State University. 

“The Ohio Piglet Book is intended to serve as a counterweight to the special interests that seek their share of tax dollars,” Schatz added.  “The reduction of wasteful spending will help the state’s stagnating economy.  It will also help make the state budget more transparent and the legislators more accountable.”

The report will be officially unveiled at a press conference today at 2:00 pm at the Ohio Statehouse, in the First Floor Southeast Passageway, across the hall from room 114.

The report is available online at www.cagw.org and www.buckeyeinstitute.org.  For answers to further questions, to schedule an interview, or to order a hard copy, please contact Tom Finnigan (202-467-5309, media@cagw.org) or Matthew Carr (614-224-4422, mcarr@buckeyeinstitute.org). 

Citizens Against Government Waste is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.  The Buckeye Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research and educational institute working to improve the lives of all Ohioans through the pursuit of practical and effective market-oriented approaches to public policy.