Promises of Pork

Representative Moran of Arlington, a principled politician from Virginia, gave the crowd at the Arlington County Democratic Committee reason for good cheer on Friday, June 9 when he told them that although he opposes fiscal irresponsibility in theory, he acknowledges the uses of pork barrel spending. He must have a unique theory of fiscal irresponsibility, where spending money on pet projects and funneling money to interest groups has no effect on the budget or on tax levels. Contingent upon a Democratic victory in the fall, he promised that “when I become chairman [of a House appropriations subcommittee], I’m going to earmark the shit out of it.” Obviously, Moran has no use for fiscal responsibility.