I’ve been meaning to check back on the “Porkbuster” program initiated by rightie bloggers NZ Bear and Glenn Reynolds. Since pork is in the news, this seems as good a time as any.

As explained here, “The idea behind Porkbuster is to get bloggers to identify federal pork spending in their states and then get their senators and representatives in Washington to commit to cutting the pork.” Good idea.

So far, the porkbusters have firm commitments from two representatives for a total of $84 million (Nancy Pelosi, D-California, for $70 M and John Shadegg R-Arizona for $14 M). The busters list two other reps has having given “positive and specific” responses, but these guys both suggested eliminating federal funding for the Presidential Election Campaign Fund (PECF). The PECF is funded by voluntary checkoff on tax returns, so I don’t see how eliminating that would make a dent in the budget.

Further down the list, you can find various Congress critters who made general suggestions–postponing the Prescription Drug Medicare Bill and cutting the recent transportation bill and NASA’s Moon and Mars program (sad, but I guess it may have to be). But the enormous majority either didn’t respond or said no.

Republican Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma proposed elininating roughly $450 million in federal funds for Alaskan bridges and shifting $75 million to a Louisiana bridge damaged by Hurricane Katrina. The Alaska bridges are notoriously porcine. especially the infamous “bridge to nowhere” that would cost $230 million to connect Gravina Island (population 50) with Ketchican. Currently people can enjoy a seven-minute ferry ride to get from one place to another.

Upon hearing the Coburn proposal, however, Republican Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska threw a temper tantrum and threatened to resign from the Senate.

Regretably, the Senate didn’t call his bluff and rejected Senator Coburn’s proposal by 82 to 15.

Kos points out that only one Democrat, Russ Feingold, voted for the Coburn propsal. Not exactly the way to show the nation that Democrats are the party of fiscal responsibility, huh?