Considering the 355-page, $123 million bond bill passed Thursdayby the state House of Representatives, one might be tempted tothink the state is awash in cash and looking for ways to spend itswindfall.

Never mind all the hand-wringing and finger-pointing of the 2005legislative session and subsequent special session over the state’sbudget shortfall. The state House – either unaware of orconveniently forgetting all that – instead took Gov. HaleyBarbour’s $25 million Momentum Mississippi economic developmentpackage and ballooned it into a $123 million bill stuffed with morepork than a Jimmy Dean sausage factory.

Included in the bill are $350,000 for a Camp Van Dorn Museum inCentreville, $250,000 for the Lee County Farmers Market and$210,000 for infrastructure projects in the town of Mize inaddition to $25,000 destined for the city of Brookhaven for anoutdoor amphitheater (which, incidentally, Mayor Bob Massengillsays he knows nothing about) and $20,000 for sidewalks in BogueChitto.

It’s no secret that the House was no fan of Momentum Mississippifrom the get-go. The chamber let the proposal languish in theregular session and was slow to take it up in the current specialsession.

With that track record, one can’t help but wonder if saddlingdown the bill with millions of dollars in add-ons was a sly attemptto kill the bill altogether, forcing Barbour to choose between aneconomic development plan he’s touted for months and unacceptablelevels of irresponsible spending.

The Senate called the House’s bluff Saturday, stripping the porkprojects from the bill and sending it back to the House. The Houseadjourned without considering the changes but Barbour already ismaking plans to call another special session for consideration ofMomentum Mississippi.

Many House Democrats have made no secret that one motivation fortheir adding projects to the bill was to send the governor apolitical message.

“This bill is not so much about the projects in it,” District 53Rep. Bobby Moak told The DAILY LEADER on Friday. “It’s aconstitutional issue. It’s a separation (of powers) issue.”

If the bill isn’t about the projects, why add them and forceMississippi taxpayers to pay the price? Surely House Democratscould think of better and less costly ways to send the governor amessage.

Not that they’re willing to try.

Rep. Steve Holland, D-Plantersville, had a message for those whoquestion blatant pork-barrel politics.

“It’s been done this way since 1817,” Holland said. “Why do youwant to destroy this time-honored process?”

Perhaps Holland’s constituents can let him know.