Earmark bandit still on the loose

The earmark bandit has still not been caught yet.  I am referring to that anonymous member of the Senate who blocked legislation that would create a national database that lists the name of each entity that receives appropriations.  With the bill now in jeopardy because of that unnamed Senator, one can only guess who that sneaky person was.

If I were in Vegas right now, I would bet my life savings on the likelihood that Ted Stevens had something to do with it.

The current problem stems from the fact that while we know earmarks exist, they all happen under the radar screen.  For example, nearly half of the recent $286 million highway bill that was signed into law by President Bush will now apparently go towards building Interstate 69.  Unfortunately, this new interstate will shadow the path of another freeway that already exists.  Unfortunately, we never had a database that showed the public what the bill contained before it passed, so now any debate about Interstate 69 is moot.

Please write to your Senators and tell them to get this database bill passed because pork like the kind in the latest transportation bill is adding to our National Debt, which is nothing more than a birth tax on future generations.
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Other sites blogging about this issue: Sunlight Foundation, The Truth Laid Bear, Porkopolis, Bring it On!.