MB Civic

By Robert Novak | Monday, November 20, 3006 | The Washington Post

Earmarks. If you are not familiar with them, this article explains them in all their corrupt glory. A central activity of Washington lobbyists is to encourage Senators to add favorable earmarks to bills undergoing debate prior to being enacted as laws. They are the single largest source of “pork barrel” spending and the single largest focus of bribes.

In this piece, Novak applauds three maverick Republican Senators (John McCain and two first-year Senators, Tom Coburn [Oklahoma] and Jim DeMint [South Carolina]) for their courage and high ideals in using the archaic Senate rules to block a huge number of earmarks from being passed by the lame duck Republican Senate before the Democrats assume control in January 2007. Novak then wonders aloud if the Democrats will exercise similar admirable restraint…BS

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/19/AR2006111900828.html