Show Prize Pork Barrel Economist Peter Drucker once wrote The moment government undertakes anything it becomes entrenched and permanent Frightening affirmation of Mr Drucker's thesis can be seen Inthe in inthe inthe the steady expansion of government programs programs pro pro- grams that cost the taxpayers untold billions of dollars One of these programs known as aid to federally impacted areas is the subject of a revealing article InThe inThe in inThe The Readers Reader's Digest by the Digests Digest's Washington Editor Kenneth O 0 O. O Gilmore Mr Gilmore reports that Presidents Kennedy Johnson and Nixon have sought to stop the outflow from this particular pork barrel According to Mr Gilmore it is a device by which vote vote seeking seeking politicians can practically guarantee themselves votes This particular federal federal fed fed- eral spending program was conceived in 1950 as an emergency measure to help local school districts that were be be- ing inundated bv by large numbers of federal federal federal fed eral school children children whose parents worked at government installations install Install- Mr Gilmore finds that the program program pro pro- gram which began with a modest 30 million outlay has soared to more than thana a half billion dollar annual subsidy to 4 school districts across the nation Today although only 28 million children child ren are arc actually federally connected half of the nations nation's 45 million public public- school pupils attend schools now receiving receiving ing impact aid Speaking of Mr Nixons Nixon's attempts to trim the sails of the impact aid pork barrel author Gilmore says the Presidents Presidents President's Presidents President's Pre Pre- recommendations to rev revamp revamp re re- v vamp amp or eliminate government programs that no longer serve the general public pub pub- lie lic interest if they are to be successful successful success success- ful must be backed to the hilt by an aroused citizenry enry This can mean but butone butone butone one thing vote thing vote against the spenders |