Politics | earmarks Leave Earmarks Alone They aren't hurting anything By Kevin Spak Posted Nov 16, 2010 9:57 AM CST Copied Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., flanked by Sen. David Vitter, R-La., left, and Rep. John Fleming, D-La., speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill. (AP Photo/Harry Hamburg) Mitch McConnell has passed out lots of earmarks in his time, but yesterday he supported a ban on the practice, because Americans "view it as a symbol of the waste.” Translation? “Earmarks are a good idea, but most people don’t get it, so I’ll oppose them,” writes Christopher Beam of Slate. “McConnell’s switch may have been politically savvy, but it doesn’t make much policy sense.” Earmarks make up just 1% of the federal budget, and cutting them wouldn’t really reduce spending, merely redirect it. Besides, earmarks are relatively transparent these days, and they’re necessary as bargaining chips in legislative compromises—“It’s ugly, but that’s how politics work.” Sure, there are downsides—they favor politicians with clout, can seem arbitrary, and the process “can be a recipe for corruption.” But Congress should be focusing on big, deficit-reducing cuts, not these small potatoes. Read These Next Iran's leaders ditched their phones. Their bodyguards didn't. A game of doorbell ditch turns fatal for 11-year-old. It's an unexpected footnote in the life of Buford Pusser. Guy accused of snatching hat from boy at US Open IDed as rich CEO. Report an error