Rep. Charles Taylor and His Brave Stand Against Pork

We all know how hard it is for Congressmen to stand up against pork-barrel spending, even if it is for seemingly uncontroversial federal waste like the "Bridge to Nowhere" or the "Johnny Appleseed Heritage Center."

That’s what makes Rep. Charles Taylor’s vote against the $10m memorial to the victims of United Flt 93 so remarkable. According to an article cited in Reason’s Hit and Run,

For Taylor, a large landowner in the mountains of western Carolina, the issue comes down to principle: The federal government is already the largest landowner in the country, and he believes that no additional tax dollars should go to more land buying for this or any other memorial. Beyond that, the families have committed to raising half the $60 million needed to build the memorial but so far have raised $7.5 million. Taylor is concerned that the federal government will be left holding the bag.

As you probably know, there will soon be a major motion picture about the crash. And in this day and age, it’s quite politically incorrect to vote against throwing money for the memory of the heroic or unfortunate — like statues of MLK or the victims of 9/11. This is why Rep. Taylor courageous vote deserves our support on this issue. Pork is hard enough to oppose as it is.