Suddenly, we're hearing a lot about Congressional "earmarks." I don't see this as an issue that has ever concerned a lot of voters. We all detest wasteful government spending but there's so much more that doesn't fall into that category and is going undiscussed. (Is anyone the least bit interested in the billions of bucks that were supposed to go to fight the Iraq War and which have simply vanished, presumably into someone's pocket?) On some level, I think voters see earmarks as all part of the game. Your state pays a lot of money in federal taxes and if it doesn't get a few earmarks, it forfeits the chance to make sure some of that is put to work in your state.
But now everyone's talking about earmarks, if not as a matter of policy than as of personal integrity. It's a little difficult to sort out the facts but this article in The Wall Street Journal seems to have a grasp on them.