The groups - the Buckeye Institute, and Citizens Against Government Waste - outlined their findings Wednesday when they released their 2009 Ohio Piglet Book, ONN's Denise Alex reported.

"The Piglet is a combination of silly projects that shouldn't be funded, but also systematic problems in the ohio state budget that need to be addressed," said David Williams, policy vice president for Citizens Against Government Waste.

Among the items the two groups label as wasteful spending: $850,000 to improve marketing for Ohio winemakers.

"The state wine industry should thrive on the quality of its wines, not through state taxes and spending," said David Hanson, president of the Buckeye Institute.

Construction projects also drew scorn in the report, such as $400,000 for the construction of a Kroger store in the Toledo area, and $500,000 for a Chuck E. Cheese's restaurant in Lima.

Renovations to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland also made the list of wasteful spending, but with tourism bringing in $38 billion to the state of Ohio in 2007, some could argue the money was a worthwhile investment.

Such an argument does not convince the watchdog groups, who dispute that the spending will generate sufficient revenue to improve the state's ailing economy.

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