Wanted: 
More Waste, Fraud and Abuse     

     Florida Sen. Bill Nelson, 75, is up for reelection. Sir, we have this low spot in our drainage ditch. If you would appropriate some money to fix that, we'll vote for you. 

   Senator Rubio, we promise our vote in 2022 if you earmark some cash to finish the job hurricane Irma started on a tall pine behind our house. And Representative Bilirakis, would you mind........

   Isn't politics fun? And these aren't bridges to nowhere.

   Columnist Daniel Ruth, a snippy type, actually aligns with President Trump this week. Our cognizant, tested-and-approved leader told some congressional members, "Maybe you should start thinking about going back to some form of earmarks." 

   Ruth agrees (with Trump, not us) that the old earmark business had its charms. Remember pork-barrel spending, which they outlawed in 2011? The worst earmarks won Golden Fleece Awards.

   For every wasteful project back home, someone else won support for his or her legislation. It was downright unAmerican, and productive. 

   Without these carrots, congressional leaders have little leverage with their otherwise partisan members. 

   Ruth says, "the cost of greasing the wheels of government was a modest price to pay for bipartisan cooperation." We must admit that national debt has soared, despite the elimination of earmarks. 

   If and when art-of-the-deal returns to Washington, Trump should feel more at home there. Ruth suggests, for us, if we want high-minded virtue, "go to church."

      Jimmy

   Are we the people much different? Do we vote for 

those who uphold the Constitution, or those who make promises?