Some in Congress defend earmarks (pork barrel spending)

[BirminghamExaminer]

Excerpt:

Some members of Congress are defending the special projects they've put into the Omnibus spending bill that passed yesterday.

Whether you call them earkmarks, special projects or pork barrel spending, specially funded projects proposed by various lawmakers benefit their home states.

Earmarks are useful for politicians, they inject dollars into home states and please constituents.

Senator John McCain made the subject of earmarks a top issue during his failed presidential campaign. In the abstract, people don't like earmarks, and the connotation often ascribed to earmarks is "pork."

But when an earmark is being funded for one's own city or state improvements, people are typically more forgiving.

Senator Stevens of Alaska was very proficient in acquiring earmark funds for his home state. And though he was a controversial figure in the state, he was very successfull in his career.

Senator Shelby of Alabama is another senator who is skilled at getting appropriations for special projects for his state. He and Senator McCain had a public battle over Shelby's appropriations for the expensive refurbishment of Birmingham's giant iron god, Vulcan back in 2001. Senator McCain introduced an amendment to block the funds but Shelby won out in the end. Senator Shelby's constituents back in Birmingham were happy to see their city's icon restored to its former glory.

The current budget passed despite attempts by Senator McCain and others who were angered by the pork projects inserted into the bill by both Democrats and Republicans.

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