Monday, March 09, 2009

The Stench of Earmarks

Watch: P.S. Kirk swears off earmarks:
Critics say carving federal funds out of legislation for specific projects corrupts federal grant making with political decisions that skew funding priorities and inflate budgets.

Earmarking also makes it possible for lawmakers to reward campaign contributors and lobbyists with direct federal grants, a process under scrutiny by investigators.

Suburban Republican Reps. Mark Kirk of Highland Park and Judy Biggert of Hinsdale have sworn off earmarking in recent years. "It is just not our job to wire a sole-source contract," Kirk says.

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