Maverick Republican Takes Stand Against the Republican Spending Machine's Bridge To Nowhere

Oklahoma's Tom Coburn (who is as crazy as you think he is on social issues) is waging war on the icon of pork that has become his party's signature issue: Alaska's $223 million Bridge to Nowhere

The Coburn Amendment to the Transportation, Housing, & Urban Development appropriations bill (HR 3058):

This amendment will transfer funding from the wasteful pork project, the “Bridge to Nowhere” in Alaska, to the repair and reconstruction of the “Twin Spans” bridge in Louisiana. According to published reports, the Alaskan pork project costs $220 million for a 5.9-mile bridge connecting Gravina Island (population 50) to the Alaskan mainland. The cost of the bridge alone would be enough to buy every island resident his own personal Lear jet.

And as RedState.org points out...

Make NO mistake - the establishment Republicans are terrified of this bill. The chutzpah of the little people demanding an end to one of the most immoral acts of Congress - earmarked pork spending - has got some in quite the tizzy.

Word is that some are trying to stop the Coburn Amendment from even reaching the floor for a vote.

Fear of exposure alone is stopping establishment Republicans from doing the right thing. Tell them it's too late. You already know how much they like to spend your money.

E-mail GOP leadership (before they all get indicted) and tell them YES on the Coburn Amendment.

There's nothing your local fiscally responsible Democrat can do about this. It's up to the GOP to stop the GOP until 2006.

From what I've been hearing on the news (though couldn't find a good link ), it seems these congressional earmarks will be at least made much more public and facing the harsh sunlight of public scrutiny may, hopefully, go away.