WASHINGTON - So much for trimming the pork.

The practice of decorating legislation with billions of dollars in pet projects and federal contracts is still thriving on Capitol Hill — despite public outrage that helped flip control of Congress two years ago.

More than 11,000 of those "earmarks," worth nearly $15 billion in all, were slipped into legislation telling the government where to spend taxpayers' money this year, keeping the issue at the center of Washington's culture of money, influence and politics. Now comes an election-year encore.

It's a pay-to-play sandbox where waste and abuse often obscure the good that earmarks can do.

An examination of many of those earmarks by The Associated Press and two dozen newspapers participating in a project sponsored by the Associated Press Managing Editors found much greater disclosure since 2006 but no end to what has become ingrained behavior in Congress. Assisting the project were two nonprofit and nonpartisan watchdog organizations — the Sunlight Foundation and Taxpayers for Common Sense.

Millions of the dollars support lobbying firms that help companies, universities, local governments and others secure what critics like Republican presidential candidate John McCain call pork-barrel spending. The law forbids using federal grants to lobby, but lobbyists do charge clients fees that often equal 10 percent of the largesse.

Earmark winners and their lobbyists often reward their benefactors with campaign contributions. For many members of Congress, especially those on the Appropriations committees, such as Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., campaign donations from earmark-seeking lobbyists and corporate executives are the core of their fundraising.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25007385/

And ya hafta ask why so many people want to be an "elected politician".

Well "DUH", ........... that's where the easy money is, ...... just for the asking.


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Well I wonder if people stop and think before they criticize the Congress specifiing what projects public money is to be spent on.

Afterall that is the way it was in the beginning.

It gradually evolved into the current situation where the executive branch submits the spending proposals and more or less just "runs it thru" the Congress.

And if the Congress actually stipulates a specific spending proposal it is criticized by the rightwing wackos as "earmarks" or "pork barrel".

Here's a thought. We hire and train people based on their experience, skill and education to run agencies, departments and programs. Why not let them do what they are hired to do?

What does our Constitution say?

Let these decisions be made by unelected bureaucrats like you suggest?

Or by the elected representatives of the people?

I say go by the Constitution as much as possible.

Sherm my man, you might want to be careful because that preceding statement contradicts just about every post you’ve ever made as the constitution in no way supports socialism or socialist programs. Now I’m going to enjoy this beautiful day the lord has made and ride. If you’re gone before I get back, have a safe week on the road.

I'm not the least bit suprised you didn't respond Sherm.