"One communities pork is another's neccessary special project which otherwise could not be funded."
" I don't
have a
problem
voting for
a street
project in
Washington
state, if my
colleagues
will vote for a water project in MS's
3 rd District."
"President Bush said that earmarks should be eliminated or at least cut in half. Let's face it, ear marks are the special needs of each Congressman's district. My small town, Pickens did not have enough money to repave our streets. Earmarked in the 2005 Transportation bill was $200,000 in federal funds to help us accomplish this. To the people that elected me to office, this is not "pork", but a great need that could not otherwise be completed.
I propose placing all the "pork" in a stand alone bill which would be very transparent listing each Congressman's special projects in an open manner. This will allow major legislation to move through Congress without being loaded up like a Christmas tree with hidden special projects that will be later attacked as "pork". If a Congressman wants to build a "bridge to nowhere" the people of his District and the Nation may want to ask why and hold him accountable at the ballot box.
Without these special projects funded at the federal level, the needs of the many small communities across the Third district will never be met."
