As a follow-up to my earlier post on social service cuts and pork, this is a link to a column by one of my favorite political columnists, Michelle Malkin, entitled "The government junkets you fund."

http://www.townhall.com/opinion/columns/michellemalkin/2006/02/08/185608.html

For a preview...
"$1,401,104,263. That's how much of our hard-earned money has gone to subsidize the spring break-style trips and conferences of the federal government over the last five years. Spending on bureaucracy boondoggles has increased some 70 percent in that time period. We wouldn't know anything about this binge if Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., hadn't asked."

It seems as if many individuals are thinking along the same lines - that governments have too much of our money to spend and they're not spending it wisely - or even with any respect to the fact that it's OUR money, not theirs.

This column details just some of the more egregious expenditures and I'm sure we'd be outraged to see a complete list. I'm grateful to Sen Coburn who's been willing to take a stand on this issue, even to his own detriment.

Ms. Malkin's column concludes:
"Blowhards in both parties in Washington have pledged to reduce spending and reform business as usual. Yet, Sen. Coburn's attempt to limit conference spending by just one agency -- HUD -- was anonymously stripped from an appropriations bill behind closed doors and unceremoniously killed.
Who did it? Let's have some transparency. Step forward and tell us why.
You want reform? You want smaller government? There's $1,401,104,263 and counting just waiting to be targeted.
Go ahead and make our day: Cut it out! "

I agree.