Cheese Factories on the Moon: Why Earmarks are Good for American DemocracyIt has become part of US political convention to attack 'earmarks' - legislative provisions that direct funds to specific projects - as wasteful and corrupt. In this provocative book Scott A. Frisch and Sean Q. Kelly argue that in fact earmarks are good for American democracy. Using extensive interviews with Washington insiders and detailed examples they illustrate how earmark projects that were pilloried in fact responded to the legitimate needs of local communities, needs that would otherwise have gone unmet. They also demonstrate that media coverage of earmarks tends to be superficial and overly-dramatic. Cheese Factories on the Moon is a much-needed challenge to a widespread but deeply flawed 'consensus' about what is wrong with US congressional spending. |
Contents
Congress the Executive and Earmarks | |
Earmarks and the National Interest | |
Earmarks and the Executive Branch | |
Further Reading | |
Lobbyists and Earmarks | |
The Earmarks Explosion and the Paradox of Reform | |
Earmarks and the Paradox of Reform | |
Notes | |
Other editions - View all
Cheese Factories on the Moon: Why Earmarks are Good for American Democracy Scott A. Frisch,Sean Q. Kelly No preview available - 2011 |
Cheese Factories on the Moon: Why Earmarks are Good for American Democracy Scott A. Frisch,Sean Q. Kelly No preview available - 2011 |
Common terms and phrases
110th Congress agencies allocation American anti-earmark appropriations bills appropriations process Appropriations Subcommittee argue authority Bob Livingston bureaucrats campaign contributions Chapter competitive congressional earmarks constituents corruption Cowgirl Museum Critics of earmarks decisions Defense Democratic developed district dollars Domenici earmark process earmark reform earmark requests elected executive branch federal government federal spending fiscal former grant House Appropriations Committee included increase institutions interests Internet investigative journalism Jerry Lewis Jim Dyer John McCain Labor-H bill Labor-H Subcommittee leadership Lee Hamilton line-item veto lobbying firm lobbyists Lott major members of Congress military construction million MRAP Natcher number of earmarks peer-review Pentagon percent political pork barrel pork barrel spending Porter president president’s programs projects Punxsutawney Punxsutawney Phil purse representatives Republican responsibility role says Services staff stories things transparency Trent Lott University veto vote Washington wasteful Whitten