Gibbons named Porker of Month

Suzanne Struglinski

Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2003 | 9:22 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., has been deemed "Porker of the Month" for December by a government watchdog group for $225,000 in federal funds he secured to help repair the public swimming pool in his hometown of Sparks.

Citizens Against Government Waste, a Washington watchdog group that monitors federal spending, gave Gibbons the title. The group select nominees "based on their willful neglect of tax dollars and the sheer arrogance of their conduct."

"If only every American had the opportunity to spend federal tax dollars to appease their guilt and atone for the sins of their childhood," the group said.

Gibbons has admitted to requesting the money to make amends for he and his friends who put frogs in the pool in the 1950s. Now remembered as the "Polliwog Caper," tadpoles clogged the drains and temporarily closed the pool.

"Rep. Gibbons needs to take off his water wings and jump from the high board," the group said. "Showing leadership on this issue could go a long way in renewing fiscal discipline on Capitol Hill."

But this is not just about fixing a young boy's prank, Gibbons' spokeswoman Amy Spanbauer said.

"The pool will greatly benefit the residents of Sparks and the children of Sparks," Spanbauer said.

"The congressman stands by his request for that funding," Spanbauer said. "One of his goals to to return federal dollars to Nevada. It's time for a level playing ground."

Spanbauer said Nevada only gets about 74 cents back for every dollar paid in federal taxes, and other areas get more. The District of Columbia, for example, gets $6 for every dollar paid in federal taxes.