State Rep. Ben Harbin continues his role as Porkmaster as local assistance grants (the Georgia version of earmarks) are added on in conference committee, hidden from public view until an hour before the budget is voted on:

The spending included 470 local assistance grants that were not revealed to the public until hours before the 2008 legislative session ended. The $6 million in grants were just about the last thing budget-writers add to budget before approving it on the final day of the session.

In addition, lawmakers sprinkled millions of dollars in big-ticket items such as local construction projects throughout the budget, many in the districts of prominent lawmakers such as Speaker Glenn Richardson (R-Hiram), House Majority Leader Jerry Keen (R-St. Simons Island) and Senate Majority Leader Tommie Williams (R-Lyons).

The budget for fiscal 2009, which begins July 1, includes more than $1 billion in local construction projects.

Even Gov. Sonny Perdue, who has not been on the best terms with House leaders, got $2 million for a new library in his home Houston County and $7.3 million for a local horse barn and practice ring.

House Appropriations Chairman Ben Harbin (R-Evans), who helped secure money for his hometown Little League program as well as more than $75 million in projects at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, defended the local spending.

"That money belongs to the taxpayers, and if we can get it into those communities, and it benefits those communities, it benefits the whole state," Harbin said.

That money does belong to the taxpayers, and they deserve to keep it instead of going to pay for what are nothing more that vote buying projects in legislator's districts.

Here is an example of some of the projects paid for by your tax dollars:

This year many communities received money to promote tourism, improve parks and restore old buildings. For instance, Jeff Davis County in rural Southeast Georgia got $10,000 in the budget to promote local tourism. The county is represented in the Senate by Williams, and in the House by Majority Caucus Chairman Jay Roberts (R-Ocilla). Alma, another Southeast Georgia town and home to Republican Rep. Tommy Smith, got $8,000 to replace seats at a local theater. Douglasville got $20,000 to help with economic development and tourism. Tybee Island got $30,000 for a theater restoration project.

You can view more of the Local Assistance Grants by looking at the budget, which you can find here. The LAGs begin on page 29. I am not complaining about projects that concern public safety, like funding for police or fire departments...I am point to projects like $20,000 to restore the Baxley Livestock Barn & Arena or $35,000 to renovate restrooms and bathrooms at park in Madison County.

LAGs aren't the only problem, as the article notes. The budget was full of pork projects in other parts of the budget. And, like I wrote above. The process of adding these projects was not subject to any public scrutiny, as Georgia Republican appropriators used similar tactic of their Democratic counterparts on the national level by inserting the projects in the budget in conference, this was something floated by House Majority Leader Jerry Keen before the 2008 session. This prevents amendments from the floor that could potentially strike some of the more frivolous projects.

There is no transparency in the budget process and Republicans in the state legislature are working to make sure it stays that way.