“Cardinals” Try to Rein In Earmarks
House appropriations chiefs are doing the reform dance — limiting the number of earmarks a lawmaker can insert to ten. That’s less than half of 25, the average number of earmarks per legislator in recent years. That’s still 4,350 earmarks too many.The dismal irony of the crooked system is that Republicans — who still manage to mumble the words “smaller government, lower taxes” through mouthfuls of pork — are the greatest abusers of the system. Since taking control of Congress in 1994, earmarking has exploded. It’s a shame, really; this is one area where a devout conservative could really do some good. (The Hill)
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=183890