A little bit about pork- Almost all pork contains some good elements. As you correctly pointed out, everything is pork to someone. Very little pork can be considered "purely evil." Because the stimulus package is being sold as a much needed boost to a severely damaged economy I would argue that everything in it is being done for political purposes. That by itself does not make pork. But it does lay a necessary foundation for the pork.
To me the biggest issue is the out of control spending by the government which has not only spent all our money, it has also spent all our kid's money and two thirds of our grandchildren's money.

Because of the massive amount of our national debt we are fun...

A little bit about pork- Almost all pork contains some good elements. As you correctly pointed out, everything is pork to someone. Very little pork can be considered "purely evil." Because the stimulus package is being sold as a much needed boost to a severely damaged economy I would argue that everything in it is being done for political purposes. That by itself does not make pork. But it does lay a necessary foundation for the pork.
To me the biggest issue is the out of control spending by the government which has not only spent all our money, it has also spent all our kid's money and two thirds of our grandchildren's money.

Because of the massive amount of our national debt we are functionally bankrupt. Thus the government should only be expending money that is absolutely necessary.

And that's why I consider this to be filled with pork.
Many things in the bill could be very useful, under other circumstances but under current conditions the government should only spend what they absolutely must. Spending must be cut, not increased.

A couple specifics?

$50 million for promotion of the arts and $335 million for education about sexually transmitted diseases.
2.8 billion to expand broadband to rural areas.
I could go on but I think I've gotten my point across.

I do see your point. But
1. Government spending is not money gone. It goes to jobs and roads and schools (all of which mean manufactured goods purchased) and to people employed, both of which mean government tax income and businesses able to stay solvent. Education spending, I've read, is thought to bring a 4 to 1 return on government investment.
2. I wouldn't get the idea that the choice is this much money or a lot less money. For the economic loss we're now experiencing is subtracting billions. Think of the costs of the half-million who went on unemployment just last month, who were, before, paying the bills. Stopping the bleeding is the goal - or we'll never pay off the deficit. And...

I do see your point. But
1. Government spending is not money gone. It goes to jobs and roads and schools (all of which mean manufactured goods purchased) and to people employed, both of which mean government tax income and businesses able to stay solvent. Education spending, I've read, is thought to bring a 4 to 1 return on government investment.
2. I wouldn't get the idea that the choice is this much money or a lot less money. For the economic loss we're now experiencing is subtracting billions. Think of the costs of the half-million who went on unemployment just last month, who were, before, paying the bills. Stopping the bleeding is the goal - or we'll never pay off the deficit. And the majority of economists believe that the bleeding will get much more costly if it is not slowed by stimulus.
3. It is a risk - we have never faced a recession quite like this. But doing nothing means a certainty that would likely be much more expensive for our grandkids. We're trapped, and we'd better take the brainiest risk we can.
4. About the specifics you mention as pork:
- arts is jobs - I used to be a professional musician. That money will keep people from losing jobs.
- I think the std education was removed early in the process by the President at the request of the Republicans
- I live in a rural area, and broadband computer access is may be THE single biggest business stimulant we could have. From my Iowa town of 7,000, people do business and sell goods and transcribe medical records and do market consulting all over the world. Many kinds of businesses would be available to us if high-speed connections were better. And in many Iowa towns, they are worse. High-speed broadband is the life-blood of new industry here - and it will generate income for both the government and our children and grandchildren.

You do make some very good points and I certainly hope you are correct.

It is a risk - we have never faced a recession quite like this. But
doing nothing means a certainty that would likely be much more
expensive for our grandkids. We're trapped, and we'd better take the
brainiest risk we can.

I don't advocate doing nothing. I think the more intelligent risk rather then this increase in spending money we don't have would be to cut spending from the massively overgrown tumor known as the defense dept budget. We can afford very serious slashes in our military budget and will still be able to defend ourselves.

After so many hundreds of millions seem to disappear after being misp...

You do make some very good points and I certainly hope you are correct.

It is a risk - we have never faced a recession quite like this. But
doing nothing means a certainty that would likely be much more
expensive for our grandkids. We're trapped, and we'd better take the
brainiest risk we can.

I don't advocate doing nothing. I think the more intelligent risk rather then this increase in spending money we don't have would be to cut spending from the massively overgrown tumor known as the defense dept budget. We can afford very serious slashes in our military budget and will still be able to defend ourselves.

After so many hundreds of millions seem to disappear after being misplaced or misspent or outright stolen by the government forgive me if I've become skeptical of their spending plans.