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Politics : View from the Center and Left -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Sam who wrote (83694)	9/11/2008 7:29:20 PM
From: Snowshoe	Respond to of 541786

>>earmarks are a tiny part of our budget<< I would welcome a broader debate about the budget. >>lipstick<< I try to ignore these silly kerfuffles over nothing.

To: Sam who wrote (83694)	9/11/2008 9:22:43 PM
From: Lane3	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 541786

But, Snowshoe, here's the reality--earmarks are a tiny part of our budget. A couple of points about that. First, earmarks, though small in dollar value, might work like the broken window approach to crime fighting. They might play bigger than they budget. Another point, this one from inside the bureaucracy, is that earmarks can really tie up the government. When there are budget cuts, you can't cut the earmarks although you take a percentage cut against all your budget. What happens is that the earmarks continue to be fully funded but critical functions are hit even harder to pick up the slack. That can keep things we really need from getting done. No, that doesn't matter from a deficit perspective, but it sure can matter from a good-government one.