Ahhh! Earmarks.

Did you know that Earmarks are not ugly spots on somebody's ear? Actually, they're ugly spots on our legislature. That's right. Earmarks are the sneaky way legislators have of slipping some pork into the diet of each and every one of us. The problem is that we rarely get to actually taste it. What they do is take a bill that is introduced to fix some problem or improve our lives and they tack on a statement that says millions of dollars will go to this pocket or that pocket. Often to a family member, but not always. But it's always so they can talk about it when they want to get reelected. "My friends and fellow voters". they can say, "I delivered the goods to you, my constituents, and I hope you'll deliver the votes for me". Now sometimes earmarks do some good, but that's really not the point. The point is we can't afford these frills any more. But our elected officials can't figure that out. Try as they might, they just can't rap their brains around the idea that their fellow Americans just can't afford to give the house away, just so these guys can get reelected. If the people are starving, let em eat cake. That's the motto our folks in Washington like to use. Only in private, of course. Heaven forbid if actual people were to hear such talk. No, no. In public, they will agree that such things as earmarks are a bane not a boon. In fact every single lawmaker would vote to end the earmark practice, provided they could attach a couple dozen earmarks to that bill.