Earmarks - Murtha nabs $150M pork

I wonder if the new reporting requirement will actually effect anything. Just because something is an "earmark" doesn't mean it's wasted money. A lot of this does real research or provides a real service. but clearly not all of it, and clearly Congress isn't the best place to decide where this money should be spent.

On the other hand, if congress just told the DOD to spend x amount researching or building something, then the decision of where to do it would be in the hands or bureaucrats, who are not exactly above corruption themselves.

But I do find it odd that Congress is funding the operations of an office that the agency wants to shutdown. This is clearly the case of a congressman putting the interest of his district above the interest of the country and should be an impressment to the congressman. But it won't because the voters in his district expect him to bring in the jobs and money even if it doesn't consider the big picture.

TheHill.com - Murtha nabs $150M pork