Posted by Ilya Somin:
>From the Bridge to Nowhere to the Airport for No One:
http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2009_08_30-2009_09_05.shtml#1252096716
When the Republicans controlled Congress, they were rightly pilloried
for subsidizing such ridiculous porkbarrel projects as the notorious
"Bridge to Nowhere." For their part, the Democrats have been funneling
money to the equally dubious [1]"Airport for No One:"
If you hate the hubbub of crowded airports, you might want to
consider flying out of Johnstown, Pa. The airport sees an average
of fewer than 30 people per day, there is never a wait for
security, you can park for free right outside the gate, and you are
almost guaranteed a row to yourself on any flight.
You might wonder how the region ever had the air traffic demand to
justify such a facility. It didn't. But it is located in the
district of one of Congress's most unapologetic earmarkers:
Democrat John Murtha.
In 20 years, Mr. Murtha has successfully doled out more than $150
million of federal payments to what is now being called the airport
for no one. I took a trip to southwestern Pennsylvania to explore
how this small town received so much money and whether the John
Murtha Airport is a legitimate federal investment.
There are many in Johnstown who see the airport as crucial.
Johnstown Chamber of Commerce President Bob Layo tells me: "If the
airport isn't paying dividends now, it will in the future." But
those dividends appear to be a mirage.
There are a total of 18 flights per week, all of which go to Dulles
Airport in Washington, D.C. I was visiting the airport from
Washington, but because flights cost a pricey $400, I drove. The
drive took less than three and a half hours and cost about $35 in
gas�not to mention that it was arguably faster than flying. And
this isn't a remote area of the state: Murtha airport is less than
two hours from the Pittsburgh airport.
Pork is highly unpopular with most voters. Outrage over pork even
helped end Republican control of Congress in 2006. So why does pork
persist? In significant part because of widespread political
ignorance. As I explained in [2]this 2006 post, Most porkbarrel
projects are unknown to the vast majority of the electorate. The only
people who likely to be aware of them are the organized interest
groups who benefit. Only on very rare occasions (such as the bridge to
nowhere) does a particularly egregious project get enough press
coverage to enter into the public consciousness. Thus, politicians
have incentives to vote for porkbarrel projects, despite their
unpopularity.
It's true, of course, that some voters like pork that goes to their
districts, even if they dislike it in general. However, a
well-informed electorate would still force its representatives in
Congress to enact a general ban on pork, because most districts lose
far more from the porkbarrel projects that go to other parts of the
country than they gain from their own. In sum, porkbarrel spending is
yet another negative aspect of government that is in large part the
result of political ignorance.
References
1.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204409904574350801854137702.html?mod=loomia&loomia_si=t0:a16:g2:r4:c0.325143:b27531504
2. http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2006_08_27-2006_09_02.shtml#1156731935
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