Pigging out

Democrats promised to change the practice of earmarking, and they have made some reforms. But Congress continues to produce massive amounts of pork, and Christian groups are among those lobbying for thick slices of bacon | Jamie Dean

Steve Ellis of Taxpayers for Common Sense amid the mass of paperwork in his Washington office

Congressman Jeff Flake killed the Perfect Christmas Tree. The Arizona Republican and fierce opponent of earmark spending made a simple argument on the House floor: The federal government shouldn't spend $129,000 to bolster an ornament-making program by local artisans in Spruce Pine, N.C., even if it helps a lagging local economy.

The House voted to scuttle federal earmark spending for the "Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree" project of the Mitchell County Development Foundation. Rep. Patrick McHenry, a North Carolina Republican, had inserted the earmark into a general government appropriations bill.

It was a meager victory for Flake: The congressman challenged some 50 earmarks totaling more than $77 million. The Christmas tree project was his only win.

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December 08, 2007, Vol. 22, No. 45

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