- To set aside funds for a specific purpose, use, or recipient. Generally speaking, virtually every appropriation is earmarked, and so are certain ...
rules.house.gov/archives/glossary_fbp.htm - A requirement that revenue be spent on a specific project or purpose, therefore intercepting the money before it is pooled with other revenue and appropriated as part of the General Fund. At the federal level, earmarking is often equated with pork spending.
www.jwpcivitasinstitute.org/media/in-print/nc-public-policy-series/budget-and-taxation-key-terms - To specify or set aside for a particular purpose
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/earmark
They made a big to do about earmarks.
Earmarks are how Senators bring "Home the bacon" for their state, thus the term "Pork Barrel spending" is used to describe this kind of Budget request.
Literally Billions of dollars each year is spent as earmarks every year and usually nobody ever knows until some lackey staff member looks it up for a reporter.
Here are the facts from citizens against government waste.
You can look this up yourself at : http://www.cagw.org/site/PageServer
We have 100 US Senators. 48 Democrats, 50 Republicans and 2 Independents.
| | Totals | # Projects | Dollars Spent | Projects Per Senator | AVG Project |
| 48 | Democrat | 5966 | $9,194,000,000 | 124 | $1,541,066 |
| 50 | Republican | 4198 | $7,458,800,000 | 84 | $1,776,751 |
| 2 | Independent | 122 | $159,600,000 | 61 | $1,308,197 |
| 100 | All | 10286 | $16,812,400,000 | 103 | $1,634,493 |
In 2008's Budget here is how the two main candidates used earmarks.
I'll attach the whole list also, but for clarity here are the main two.
| Party | Senator | # of Projects | Total Dollars (Millions) | Extended Dollars | AVG Project |
R McCain 0 $0.00 $0 $0
| D | Obama | 53 | $97.40 | $97,400,000 | $1,837,736 |
Now don't get me wrong, I do not think a Senator fighting for money for his state is wrong.
I think hiding it from discussion and sneaking it into the budget request each year is though. These ought to see the light of day and they don't.
The way the Senate operates in this regard is wrong and it should be changed.
Obama says he is the agent of change? 97.4 millions dollars of change, if you ask me. This looks like more of the same.
Almost nobody really knows what this 16.8 Billion dollars is spent on. Both parties have to clean it up.
Factually Republicans make about 60 requests less per senator, and Democrats spend on Average about $234,000 less per earmark, but the point is not lost on me here.
The average senator makes over 100 earmark requests per year. The average request is over 1.5 million dollars!
If you can not control this money, how do you think you are going to be able to control the budget and your own party asking for more and more and more.
The only answer that makes sense to me is this :
Future performance is dictated by past result.
Thankx for reading my rant !
| Citizens Against Government Waste 2008 Earmark Reports |
| Party | Senator | # of Projects | Total Dollars (Millions) | Extended Dollars | Avg Project |
| D | Akaka | 59 | $185.00 | $185,000,000 | $3,135,593 |
| R | Alexander | 60 | $120.60 | $120,600,000 | $2,010,000 |
| R | Allard | 75 | $95.70 | $95,700,000 | $1,276,000 |
| R | Barrasso | 5 | $12.50 | $12,500,000 | $2,500,000 |
| D | Baucus | 92 | $124.00 | $124,000,000 | $1,347,826 |
| D | Bayh | 87 | $125.00 | $125,000,000 | $1,436,782 |
| R | Bennett | 89 | $156.20 | $156,200,000 | $1,755,056 |
| D | Biden | 70 | $119.70 | $119,700,000 | $1,710,000 |
| D | Bingaman | 150 | $280.90 | $280,900,000 | $1,872,667 |
| R | Bond | 142 | $309.80 | $309,800,000 | $2,181,690 |
| D | Boxer | 100 | $120.00 | $120,000,000 | $1,200,000 |
| D | Brown | 59 | $95.70 | $95,700,000 | $1,622,034 |
| R | Brownback | 81 | $89.60 | $89,600,000 | $1,106,173 |
| R | Bunning | 21 | $23.60 | $23,600,000 | $1,123,810 |
| R | Burr | 89 | $117.10 | $117,100,000 | $1,315,730 |
| D | Byrd | 111 | $386.00 | $386,000,000 | $3,477,477 |
| D | Cantwell | 174 | $163.00 | $163,000,000 | $936,782 |
| D | Cardin | 145 | $236.40 | $236,400,000 | $1,630,345 |
| D | Carper | 66 | $85.00 | $85,000,000 | $1,287,879 |
| D | Casey | 165 | $176.60 | $176,600,000 | $1,070,303 |
| R | Chambliss | 108 | $127.00 | $127,000,000 | $1,175,926 |
| D | Clinton | 281 | $296.20 | $296,200,000 | $1,054,093 |
| R | Coburn | 0 | $0.00 | $0 | $0 |
| R | Cochran | 245 | $892.20 | $892,200,000 | $3,641,633 |
| R | Coleman | 94 | $180.90 | $180,900,000 | $1,924,468 |
| R | Collins | 69 | $81.30 | $81,300,000 | $1,178,261 |
| D | Conrad | 77 | $118.30 | $118,300,000 | $1,536,364 |
| R | Corker | 12 | $33.90 | $33,900,000 | $2,825,000 |
| R | Cornyn | 75 | $121.90 | $121,900,000 | $1,625,333 |
| R | Craig | 88 | $97.30 | $97,300,000 | $1,105,682 |
| R | Crapo | 83 | $83.10 | $83,100,000 | $1,001,205 |
| R | DeMint | 0 | $0.00 | $0 | $0 |
| R | Dodd | 75 | $129.20 | $129,200,000 | $1,722,667 |
| R | Dole | 110 | $133.60 | $133,600,000 | $1,214,545 |
| R | Domenici | 168 | $259.80 | $259,800,000 | $1,546,429 |
| D | Dorgan | 91 | $178.50 | $178,500,000 | $1,961,538 |
| D | Durbin | 136 | $256.30 | $256,300,000 | $1,884,559 |
| R | Ensign | 34 | $92.60 | $92,600,000 | $2,723,529 |
| R | Enzi | 3 | $10.30 | $10,300,000 | $3,433,333 |
| D | Feingold | 0 | $0.00 | $0 | $0 |
| D | Feinstein | 189 | $294.00 | $294,000,000 | $1,555,556 |
| R | Graham | 59 | $99.20 | $99,200,000 | $1,681,356 |
| R | Grassley | 154 | $321.40 | $321,400,000 | $2,087,013 |
| R | Gregg | 63 | $93.80 | $93,800,000 | $1,488,889 |
| R | Hagel | 53 | $73.60 | $73,600,000 | $1,388,679 |
| D | Harkin | 194 | $302.80 | $302,800,000 | $1,560,825 |
| R | Hatch | 67 | $103.50 | $103,500,000 | $1,544,776 |
| R | Hutchison | 145 | $255.60 | $255,600,000 | $1,762,759 |
| R | Inhofe | 99 | $144.40 | $144,400,000 | $1,458,586 |
| D | Inouye | 131 | $385.50 | $385,500,000 | $2,942,748 |
| R | Isakson | 78 | $119.70 | $119,700,000 | $1,534,615 |
| D | Johnson | 100 | $130.10 | $130,100,000 | $1,301,000 |
| D | Kennedy | 124 | $192.10 | $192,100,000 | $1,549,194 |
| D | Kerry | 124 | $138.80 | $138,800,000 | $1,119,355 |
| D | Klobuchar | 99 | $178.40 | $178,400,000 | $1,802,020 |
| D | Kohl | 121 | $148.40 | $148,400,000 | $1,226,446 |
| R | Kyl | 27 | $69.00 | $69,000,000 | $2,555,556 |
| D | Landrieu | 161 | $458.50 | $458,500,000 | $2,847,826 |
| D | Lautenberg | 223 | $288.90 | $288,900,000 | $1,295,516 |
| D | Leahy | 96 | $163.30 | $163,300,000 | $1,701,042 |
| D | Levin, Carl | 255 | $301.40 | $301,400,000 | $1,181,961 |
| I | Lieberman | 101 | $149.40 | $149,400,000 | $1,479,208 |
| D | Lincoln | 107 | $230.00 | $230,000,000 | $2,149,533 |
| R | Lott | 74 | $242.70 | $242,700,000 | $3,279,730 |
| R | Lugar | 113 | $128.00 | $128,000,000 | $1,132,743 |
| R | Martinez | 80 | $115.80 | $115,800,000 | $1,447,500 |
| R | McCain | 0 | $0.00 | $0 | $0 |
| D | McCaskill | 0 | $0.00 | $0 | $0 |
| R | McConnell | 69 | $194.90 | $194,900,000 | $2,824,638 |
| D | Menendez | 207 | $286.40 | $286,400,000 | $1,383,575 |
| D | Mikulski | 179 | $289.90 | $289,900,000 | $1,619,553 |
| R | Murkowski | 21 | $56.20 | $56,200,000 | $2,676,190 |
| D | Murray | 208 | $327.80 | $327,800,000 | $1,575,962 |
| D | Nelson, Ben | 67 | $75.40 | $75,400,000 | $1,125,373 |
| D | Nelson, Bill | 96 | $161.30 | $161,300,000 | $1,680,208 |
| D | Obama | 53 | $97.40 | $97,400,000 | $1,837,736 |
| D | Pryor | 105 | $223.80 | $223,800,000 | $2,131,429 |
| D | Reed | 96 | $130.70 | $130,700,000 | $1,361,458 |
| D | Reid | 160 | $259.50 | $259,500,000 | $1,621,875 |
| R | Roberts | 47 | $54.20 | $54,200,000 | $1,153,191 |
| D | Rockefeller | 2 | $6.20 | $6,200,000 | $3,100,000 |
| D | Salazar | 112 | $111.90 | $111,900,000 | $999,107 |
| I | Sanders | 21 | $10.20 | $10,200,000 | $485,714 |
| D | Schumer | 306 | $298.30 | $298,300,000 | $974,837 |
| R | Sessions | 47 | $158.00 | $158,000,000 | $3,361,702 |
| R | Shelby | 206 | $464.50 | $464,500,000 | $2,254,854 |
| R | Smith | 117 | $130.80 | $130,800,000 | $1,117,949 |
| R | Snowe | 67 | $70.00 | $70,000,000 | $1,044,776 |
| R | Specter | 315 | $220.20 | $220,200,000 | $699,048 |
| D | Stabenow | 220 | $232.50 | $232,500,000 | $1,056,818 |
| R | Stevens | 150 | $469.40 | $469,400,000 | $3,129,333 |
| R | Sununu | 36 | $69.40 | $69,400,000 | $1,927,778 |
| D | Tester | 78 | $93.00 | $93,000,000 | $1,192,308 |
| R | Thune | 49 | $22.80 | $22,800,000 | $465,306 |
| R | Vitter | 104 | $231.50 | $231,500,000 | $2,225,962 |
| R | Voinovich | 110 | $130.80 | $130,800,000 | $1,189,091 |
| R | Warner | 122 | $251.20 | $251,200,000 | $2,059,016 |
| D | Webb | 121 | $254.10 | $254,100,000 | $2,100,000 |
| D | Whitehouse | 52 | $46.70 | $46,700,000 | $898,077 |
| D | Wyden | 117 | $140.30 | $140,300,000 | $1,199,145 |
| 10286 | $16,812.40 | $16,812,400,000 | $1,634,493 |
