Eliminate the Pork

By David Davenport

The Republican Congress had its chance in 2006. And the new Democratic Congress tried in 2007. But after all the rhetoric and reforms, earmarks--where a member of Congress attaches a piece of special interest funding to a larger bill--remain.The tragic bridge collapse in Minnesota and the $233 million "bridge to nowhere" in Alaska funded by a special earmark symbolizes the problem. National priorities give way to special interests that Congress cannot resist. Then funding for highways and schools and heavily used infrastructure slides down the priority list. It's time to call for a special citizen's commission to recommend changes to federal pork and Congressional earmarks. There are issues--like redistricting and earmarking--where the politicians are just too self-interested to make the rules. We don't need to reform earmarks, we need to eliminate them.