This is particularly discouraging

in a period of national emergency requiring the expenditure of large sums

for homeland security and overseas military forces, both sorely neglected

the past eight years. This breech of faith may not reach the magnitude

of the $50,000 grant in California for tattoo removal, or a new West Virginia

federal building dedicated to Senator Byrd, but it is most irritating

when sponsored by an otherwise conservative U.S. representative that I

have, until now, proudly supported.

The basic problem is that the

federal budget is already out of control with one of the causes being

pork barrel spending. We are currently looking at the possibility of a

$100 billion deficit. This is caused by, among other things, a farm bill

with a 70 percent boost in subsidies, of which $360,000 in payments can

be awarded to individuals or corporations.

This means that Ted Turner

will probably get $360,000 of your tax money next year under this provision.

(He also makes a huge profit in government subsidies from the buffalo

you get served at Ted's Montana Grill which is a good reason to order

a pizza and stay home.)

Democrat strategists have revealed

that their plan is to vote for increased spending across the board, thus

forcing the budget into deficits that they will then blame on Bush. The

"Bush deficit" will be a rallying cry for them in the next election,

and they will then increase the pressure to cancel future tax cuts, and

begin lobbying for tax increases. Why would a Republican want to contribute

to those looming deficits through pork barrel spending?

The bottom line is that I am

ashamed to inform my family members in other states that my local representative

has deemed it necessary that they help pay for improvements to Falcon

Field. I hope that their U.S. representative will not take advantage of

the federal trough to ladle out my tax dollars for similar local and unconstitutional

expenditures in their locations.

Just think of the consequences

an out of control federal budget, and continually higher taxes to pay

for ever more outlandish projects to serve smaller and smaller numbers

of people. (Tattoo removal anyone?)

Please write Rep. Mac Collins

at the U.S. House of Representatives, Washington D.C. 20515, or call his

office at 202-225-3121, and let him know that you expect him to work for

lower taxes and a smaller, less intrusive federal government, not look

for local projects to add to Congress' already substantial pork barrel.

We sent a conservative Republican

to Congress. If we wanted a free-spending liberal (New) Democrat to "bring

home the bacon," and increase our federal taxes every year, we would

have voted for one.

William Fielder

Peachtree City