Neil, on your programme of February 24th 2009, you identified a series of spending plans as pork. These included a $2 million plan to improve astronomy in Hawaii and a $1.7 million plan to study bees. I come from the United Kingdom where since 2007 we have been fighting a condition known as “colony collapse” or more commonly known as “bee hive collapse” where hives that are productive one season suddenly disappear from production. Since 2007, the UK government has spent some £8 / $12 million investigating the cause which if left unchecked could leave British hives unproductive for decades. I happen to know that in Adams County, PA, the first signs of bee hive collapse have been reported already. So Neil, does this mean that you want to see more people lose their jobs in the honey industry or are you quite happy to see the whole American fruit based economy collapse? If so, then yes, bee hive collapse funding is pork, but if it does happen then don’t come running to me when you run out of honey, cider and indeed the occasional apple juice!

Harry Hayfield, Cardigan County, Wales, United Kingdom