Why is pork barrel spending good

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List of Partners vendors. If you've ever seen political thrillers, you'll be quick to believe that politics is a dirty game. In the fictional world, politicians are often corrupt individuals driven by greed and personal gain, taking bribes and exchanging favors for the support of lobbyists and other important influencers.

But that isn't the case in the real world, is it? There are cases where money, power, and political support override the greater good of all. One of these is known as pork barrel politics. Pork barrel politics have been present in the United States' legislative and, to a lesser degree, executive branches since the s. Generally used in a derogatory manner, the term refers to the practice of politicians trading favors with constituents or special interest groups in exchange for political support.

This can come in the form of votes or campaign contributions. Pork barrel politics—also known as patronage—primarily or exclusively benefit just one group of people even though it's almost always funded by the larger community.

The practice of pork barrel politics relates to crony capitalism. In cases like this, the relationships between businessmen and the government are what determine success—not the free market. Examples of wasteful government spending are found each year in the budgets proposed by Congress.

It got to the point where people started taking notice, leading Congress to take action. In , Congress put a moratorium on the practice of earmarking —putting money aside for a certain purpose—which placed legislative add-ons on appropriations bills to funnel money to special projects in a lawmaker's state. Earmarks were a common practice used by legislators when attempting to pass a broad bill. However, as recently as April of , Congress is slowly lifting the ban on earmarks, initiated by both House Republicans and Senate Democrats.

Congress put a moratorium on the practice of earmarking—putting money aside for a certain purpose—in More than a decade later, in , House Republicans and Senate Democrats have lifted their bans on earmarks. Pork barrel spending and the intersection of money and politics extend back more than a century in U.

Abraham Lincoln, for example, traded Civil War contracts to northern businessmen in exchange for patronage jobs and campaign support. On a more local level, the early 20th century New York government was dominated by Tammany Hall, a political organization that frequently bartered government contracts for political power. Outrageous examples of political earmarks caution against pork barrel politics, including some of the following examples. The American public turned against earmarking money through pork barrel politics toward the end of This was in response to a large federal highway transportation bill that included concessions for the state of Alaska.

The proposal was for the construction of a bridge that would connect the town of Ketchikan, Alaska, to the airport on Gravina Island. The former had a population of less than 9,, while the latter only had 50 residents. The project was going to be funded by federal taxpayers , with only a few Alaskans reaping the benefit. After a public outcry, the funds were rerouted and the project was scrapped.

Another example is the Big Dig project in Boston, a 7. Story highlights Sen. Harry Reid spoke out in favor of earmarks, disagreeing with President Obama Julian Zelizer says Reid is right; there are benefits from dispensing political pork He says presidents can gain leverage with Congress if they permit earmarks Zelizer: Earmarks enable members of Congress to respond to local needs.

Give him credit for originality. Rather than the usual refrain of blasting Washington as a dysfunctional and corrupt city, Reid disagreed with President Barack Obama and said: "I have been a fan of earmarks since I got here the first day. I disagree -- underline, underscored, big exclamation mark -- with Obama. He's wrong. Earmarks, historically referred to as a form of "pork-barrel spending", are measures that House and Senate members add to bills to benefit people in their own districts.

In response to Reid's comments, there was the predictable backlash of criticism. Tom Coburn, R-Oklahoma, warned that "The American public think it's a sick way to run a business, to have to bribe somebody to get something done and politicians use it to look good at home.

Julian Zelizer. But Reid has a point, and many Republicans who spent much of their careers mastering the art of congressional spending agree with him -- even though many are scared to say so in public. Legislators have found new ways called lettermarking or phonemarking to obtain these kinds of appropriations, though in smaller scale than before. Congressional earmarks and pork barrel spending have a long history in the United States. They have served important purposes that are too often overlooked.

Most important, this kind of congressional spending has been vital to successful negotiation on Capitol Hill.