State Piglet Roundup

In conjunction with state taxpayer groups, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) released sixPiglet Books in 2010.  The Piglet Books bring CAGW’s national expertise in exposing waste, fraud and abuse to the state and local levels. 

In January, CAGW and the Idaho Freedom Foundation released the first ever 2010 Idaho Pork Report.  The exposé uncovered $16,000 spent for a Department of Commerce promotional video, called “Idaho … Business is Easy Here.”  The six-minute video featured images of the state, as well as comical computer-animated potato people.  Posted on YouTube in August 2009, the video garnered a mere 84 hits, and another 1,871 hits on the Commerce Department’s website.  In addition to the video, the report listed an expense of $20,000 for decorations on five traffic control boxes.

CAGW and the Illinois Policy Institute released the first part of the 2010 Illinois Piglet Book in February. This is the third such publication.  The first was in 2005 and the second was in 2008.The Piglet was especially timely as state budget officials predict a shortfall of $13 billion in fiscal year 2011.Examples of wasteful spending in the Illinois Piglet Book included $78,066 for quail promotion.  The money went to Quail Unlimited, which is “dedicated to the wise use and management of America’s wild quail, doves, upland game birds and other forms of wildlife.” The state also shelled out $6,500 for a tub of live bass.  The state used this4,000-gallon, 40-foot tank filled with live fishfor fishing seminars and demonstrations.

Together with the Hawaii Grassroot Institute, CAGW released the 2010 Hawaii Pork Report in March.  This was the secondPork Report in as many years in the state.  The report revealed more than $300 million in waste, abuse, and mismanagement of taxpayer dollars.Some of the frivolous spendingincluded $104.5 million for25 positions in the Honolulu Department of Transportation; $687,000 for a skateboard park that has been 12 years in the making and is 17 percent over budget; and$39,300 to relocate a fire hydrant.

In May, CAGW and the North Dakota Policy Council unveiled the first ever North Dakota Pork Report: 2007–2009 Biennium.  The Pork Report unmasked numerous wasteful items in the budget.  The state spent $150,000 for furniture at the Chateau de Mores;$100,000 for landscaping at the Bank of North Dakota; and $30,100 for six state legislators to attend the Presidential Inauguration in Washington, D.C.

In June, the 2010 Tennessee Pork Reportwas released in conjunction with the Tennessee Center for Policy Research.  This was the fourthTennessee Pork Report.  This year’s report uncovered dozens of examples of questionable spending by state and local officials, including $1,600,000 to fund insolvent state-owned golf courses; $510,000 for dog parks in Knoxville and Knox County; and $450,481 for two art statues in downtown Nashville.

CAGW and the Nevada Policy Research Institute released The Nevada Piglet Book 2010 on September 30, 2010. This was the second such report released in Nevada; the first was in 2008.This latest report revealed that the Clark County School District spent only 33.7 percent of its budget on instruction-related activities in the 2008-2009 school year.The state also spent $4.7 million to subsidize five golf courses around the state.

In October, CAGW and the Illinois Policy Institute released the second part of the 2010 Illinois Piglet Book, focused on capital spending.  The report, If You Build It, Debt Will Come: A Closer Look at the Illinois Capital Spending Spree,outlined the egregious spending found in the $31 million capital bill signed in June 2009. This bill, which was intended to help create jobs, has instead wasted money, including $3,291,528 for attracting waterfowl and improving public migratory waterfowl areas and $337,020 for the conservation of furbearing mammals.  It appears that the Illinois state government cares more about wildlife than taxpayers.

In November, CAGW partnered with the Montana Policy Institute to produce the Montana Pork Report, the first of its kind in the state. The report took a long, hard look at government spending in Montana, and made several recommendations to help Montana’s government save money, including a detailed review ofthe $525 million in statutory spending. The state could also save $20,000 by putting its state directory online instead of printing hard copies.

All of these reports are available at CAGW’s website, www.cagw.org, as well as the companion state organization websites.

  — Lauren Hartman