Free Enterprise, Free Money

Delightful tidbit from a Boston Globe report on the enormous rise in last-minute insertions of pure pork in the form of "earmarks," done with no official sponsors (there were 1,439 such earmarks in 1995, costing us all $10 billion, last year; a decade after the Gingrich/GOP revolution to slash government, we saw 13,997 earmarks, costing $27.3 billion): one of the recipients, from acting majority leader Roy Blunt's district, was "Students in Free Enterprise," which won a million in federal grants.

Comments

[SR]

At least the earmarks are getting smaller: 1995 average - $6,949,270 ($10 billion / 1,439); 2005 average - $1,950,417 ($27.3 billion / 13,997)

[io1029]

SR, always the optimist?

[Captain Holly]

Don't forget to adjust for inflation, either.

[theCoach]

So earmarks accounted for ~.226% of GDP.

Maybe we should be looking for different targets if the goal is trying to slash government.

[ChrisO]

No big secret--"entitlements" are 800lb. gorilla sitting in the rotunda.

Earmarks are just more embarrassing to all involved.