I want to thank my elected representatives for getting our piece of the pie. Article here: http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index...

excerpts:

Sen. Robert Menendez, in conjunction with other legislators, requested 171 earmarks worth $159.8 million, according to the nonpartisan group Taxpayers for Common Sense. In all, Menendez's name is attached to more than 180 earmarks worth $288 million. According to Taxpayers for Common Sense, Sen. Frank Lautenberg and other lawmakers requested 173 earmarks worth $158.8 million. Lautenberg's name is attached to at least 184 provisions worth $272 million.

The group ranks Menendez and Lautenberg 15th and 16th, respectively, in the Senate for the amount of money they brought to their home states...

"But for these earmarks, we wouldn't have flood-control work in Somerset County on the Raritan River basin or something so critical as beach replenishment on the Jersey Shore," Menendez said. "We wouldn't be able to ensure that we'd have more conservation of the Highlands. I'm proud to put my name on these projects." ...

In the dust-up over earmarks, critics have called attention to dozens of eyebrow-raising projects across the nation. They include $1.7 million for pig odor research in Iowa, more than $800,000 for catfish genetic research in Alabama and $2 million for the "promotion of astronomy" in Hawaii.

Most of New Jersey's projects tilt toward infrastructure, health care and education. The biggest single allotment, $48 million, will go toward the construction of a second rail tunnel beneath the Hudson River. About $86 million will be split between New York and New Jersey for harbor dredging...

Both Menendez and Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-8th Dist.) suggested the criticism over earmarks has been taken out of context and contended Democrats have made great strides in reducing wasteful spending since they gained the majority in Congress two years ago.

Under Republican rule, they said, earmarks accounted for 4 percent to 5 percent of the budget. They now account for less than 1 percent.

"It's a big change from what existed before, and that's why much of this is hypocrisy," said Pascrell, whose name is attached to about $60 million in earmarks. "To stand on the floor of the House and insinuate that anyone who is getting earmarks is in some way tainted is ridiculous.

"I stand by every one of the earmarks that I brought in," Pascrell said. "They're important for the district. They're for the common good.

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The media have invested a lot of time, money, and energy into demonizing earmarks while ignoring the fact that that they represent less than 2% of expenditures in the omnibus spending bill and less than 1% of overall spending. The object of this exercise is to reinforce the idea that government spending is waste and should therefore always be reduced. Once people have accepted the idea that government spending is waste and government is the problem, it becomes easy to sell the single project that defines the contemporary Republican Party- keeping taxes on the wealthiest Americans low...