Watchdog group says Don Young is the reason Republicans have lost credibility

January 29, 2008 3:13 PM - Posted by Dennis Zaki
The watchdog group 'Citizens Against Government Waste' has sent a letter to Congressman Don Young explaining the reasons why he made their list for "Porker of the Year" after Young took issue with their nomination.

One the lines in the statement accuses Young of possibly losing the mid-term elections for the Republicans due to his infamous "Bridge-to-Nowhere."

"I am in receipt of the letter you sent on January 23, regarding your name being placed on our list of nominees for Citizens Against Government Waste's (CAGW) Porker of the Year award. We are well aware of the pride you take in your pork, to the extent that you referred to the taxpayers' dollars as 'my money' on the floor of the House of Representatives on July 18, 2007. That misguided use of the possessive alone epitomizes why Americans are fed up with earmarks and why opinion polls show Congress inspiring an even lower level of trust among Americans than President Bush.

"In fact, it was the 'Bridge to Nowhere' that you added to SAFTEA-LU in 2005 that became the poster child for out-of-control spending and led to the loss of credibility (and possibly the mid-term elections) for Republicans. Regarding the Coconut Road project and the Bridge to Nowhere, neither our January 22 press release nor any prior CAGW publications state they were funded in 2007, as you allege in your letter.... Read entire letter (PDF)