Good Grief

One of the reasons voters elect their Congressional representatives is because they believe that person will bring goods and services to their state. This is referred to as "pork" and it's not necessarily bad. Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia has made a science of it. He's managed to bring more than $1 billion (yes, that's billion with a "b") dollars to West Virginia over the years. Citizens Against Government Waste has dedicated a page to him and had named him "King of Pork."

So, in honor of their senior senator, the legislature of West Virginia in 1997, erected a statue in the Capitol rotunda of homeboy Robert Byrd. Did I mention that this is violation of WV state statute stating that no statute shall be erected of a government official until 50 years after his death? I wonder if anyone took that into consideration when a check using taxpayer money was written for the statue. It's said that the hands on the statue are pointing toward the pockets of those looking at the statue. I have never seen the statue, so I can't say.

I know several people from West Virginia and they are not stupid. They are not the stereotypical caricature of the illiterate, shine-swilling, gap-toothed, in-bred, hillbilly one hears of in those stupid jokes about the denizens of West (by God!) Virginia. Perhaps the average West Virginian doesn't know about the state law against statues of living (or dead less than 50 years) government officials. Perhaps even some members of the WV legislature don't know. But there has to be someone, somewhere who did.

Oh, something else. A lot of the pork projects that came to West Virginia has Robert C. Byrd's name on it. Literally. Here's a list:

Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope

Robert C. Byrd Locks and Dam
Robert C. Byrd Drive, from Beckley to Sophia (Byrd's hometown)
Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center of West Virginia
Robert C. Byrd Cancer Research Center
Robert C. Byrd Technology Center at Alderson-Broaddus College
Robert C. Byrd Hardwood Technologies Center, near Princeton
Robert C. Byrd Bridge between Huntington and Chesapeake, Ohio
Robert C. Byrd addition to the lodge at Oglebay Park, Wheeling
Robert C. Byrd Community Center, Pine Grove
Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarships
Robert C. Byrd Expressway, U.S. 52 near Weirton
Robert C. Byrd Institute in Charleston
Robert C. Byrd Institute for Advanced Flexible Manufacturing
Robert C. Byrd Visitor Center at Harpers Ferry National Historic Park
Robert C. Byrd Federal Courthouse
Robert C. Byrd Academic and Technology Center
Robert C. Byrd United Technical Center
Robert C. Byrd Federal Building
Robert C. Byrd Hilltop Office Complex
Robert C. Byrd Library and Robert C. Byrd Learning Resource Center
Robert C. Byrd Rural Health Center
Robert C. Byrd Clinical Addition to the veteran's hospital in Huntington
Robert C. Byrd Industrial Park, Hardy County
Robert C. Byrd Scholastic Recognition Award
Robert C. Byrd Community Center in the naval station, Sugar Grove

I don't know if this is all inclusive or a partial list. It really doesn't make any difference to me. You know, I had a thought (believe it or not) when I was looking at this list. Some of these projects are of the type that are usually funded by the person they are named for (scholastic, community centers) and others are named for a person after their death (Federal buildings and courthouses). Not always, but usually. Perhaps some of these scholastic projects were funded with Byrd private money? I don't know. Just throwing it out there. I wonder how many of these projects got funding because they were named for Senator Byrd. I wonder how many of these projects were named because it was suggested that by naming it for Senator Byrd, funding would become available. Don't know, and not saying anything.

Just wondering.