Here are some of the most irresponsible examples of waste in the omnibus spending bill…

While Obama spoke in his speech about ruling out adding pet spending projects to budget legislation, McCain said the budget bill coming up included 9,246 of those projects that would spend billions of dollars.

"A certain inconsistency there," said McCain, specifically criticizing a project he said would spend "$2 million for the promotion of astronomy in Hawaii."

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1,000-plus-page spending bill includes hundreds of pages of earmarks – pet spending projects inserted by lawmakers, ranging

$185,000 for coral reef research and preservation in Maui County, Hawaii

$55,000 in meteorological equipment for Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif.

$9.9 million for science enhancement at historically black colleges in South Carolina.

In addition to the basic operations of government, the new budget includes 775 pages of earmarks, funding programs that include local museums, colleges and infrastructure projects.

Among the earmarked projects in the bill are $764,000 for the Lake George Watershed Protection Initiative in New York, requested by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, New York Democrat

$9.9 million for South Carolina’s historically black colleges and universities, requested by House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn, South Carolina Democrat;

$1.1 million requested by Senate Republican Conference Chairman Lamar Alexander and Sen. Bob Corker, both of Tennessee, for water treatment plant improvements in Tennessee’s Unicoi County, as well as $300,000 for a sewer extension project in another county.

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Examples of Earmarks in the Omnibus

$713,625 Woody Biomass at SUNY-ESF. Walsh and Schumer sponsors

$951,500 Sustainable Las Vegas. Berkeley and Reid sponsors.

$24,000 A+ for Abstinence. Specter is sponsor.

$300,000 Montana World Trade Center. Rehberg sponsor.

$950,000 Myrtle Beach International Trade and Convention Center. Graham sponsor.

$200,000 Oil Region Alliance. Peterson sponsor.

$190,000 Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, WY for digitizing and editing the Cody collection. Barbara Cubin is the sponsor

$143,000 Las Vegas Natural History Museum, Las Vegas, NV, to expand natural history education programs. Sponsored by Harry Reid

$238,000 for the Polynesian Voyaging Society, Honolulu, HI, for educational programs. Sen. Daniel Inouye is the sponsor.

$381,000 for Jazz at Lincoln Center, New York, NY for music education programs. Jerrold Nadler is the sponsor.

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Rep. Jerry Lewis of California, the top Republican on the House Appropriations Committee, would spend $3.8 million on a Needles, Calif., highway.

Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi, the top Republican on Senate Appropriations, backs earmarks including a $950,000 nature education center in Moss Point, Miss. He defends earmarks.

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USA TODAY

2/23/09

Spending bill includes $3.8B in projects

Bill introduced Monday includes 806 pages listing specific projects added to spending bill by members of Congress

$3.8 billion in the bill for legislative projects known as "earmarks" is down about 5% from the $4 billion in fiscal 2008, House Appropriations Committee spokeswoman Kirstin Brost said.

Among them: $142,500 for a museum honoring the late House speaker Sam Rayburn, requested by Rep. Ralph Hall, R-Texas;

$300,000 for a science camp curriculum in West Virginia requested by Rep. Alan Mollohan, D-W.Va.;

$150,000 for renovations to the Westwood Theater in Rexburg, Idaho, requested by Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho.

$1049000 for Mormon Crickets

Hill staffer Tom Jones is going through the omnibus spending bill with a fine-tooth comb, and Twittering his earmark findings, including:

* $200,000 for Tattoo Removal Violence Prevention Outreach Program, pg. 283;

Appropriations Act 2009

*Maine lobster earmark in the omnibus, pg. 173;

Appropriations Act 2009

*$5.8 million earmark for the Ted Kennedy Institute for the Senate…for the planning and design of a building & an endowment, pg. 232;

Appropriations Act 2009

*and National Council of La Raza, $473,000 earmark from Sens. Bingaman and Menendez, pg. 212.

Appropriations Act 2009

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