Mine is not bad, Yours is bad

EARMARKS 

The word that has become bad.  By popular definition of today it has come to mean someone got money secretly, slight of hand or outright corruption. 

What really is an earmark.  Well it is something that a Senator or congress person inserts into a bill, usually a budget bill, telling a certain part of the federal government  to spend X amount of dollars on a certain projects. Many of these projects are worth the time and money but would never see the light of day or would take some many years to get funding through some grant program.  Why?  Because they are small many times or they are going up against some high profile project that has lots of money to higher the right lobbyist.

Several years back Marquette University received money for it Dental School.  Take this past cycle.  The city of Janesville received a million dollar "earmark" to help with the new unemployment program.  Are they bad?  Most people would say no, I think.

How about the settlement between City of Milwaukee and the County of Milwaukee over mass transit money.  That has been an ongoing problem for years that  has cost the local millions of funding as well as slowing down many projects.  

Are any of these "The bridge to nowhere".   Of course not.  In amy document as large as the Federal Government you will find good and bad things.  

It started with Senator McCain and Feingold.  The ranting and the raving about how bad earmarks.  Now their is a whole herd of naysayers.  Though the herd was thinned last November.  The Republicans hold only 41 seats and still praying to get to 42 yet they matched almost dollar for dollar that of the Democrats.  

So do they really believe they are bad or are they trying to make earmarks a political football just as John McCain has.  Maybe they should as their Gov. not to take the money.

But then again I forgot that my earmarks are good it is only your EARMARKS that are all bad.

My transit fix is better than you road work.

Finally what could be more open than an earmark.  If some group gets funding through a department we have no idea if they got the funding because it is a good project or because they hired the right lobby group.  Did the Senator go to the department and twist some arms or promise to vote for more funds next time for the agency.

Give me earmarks any day.