such arrogance!

"To me, it makes no sense to take this power (earmarks) away from representatives elected by the people of Georgia and give it to a nameless, faceless, Washington agency bureaucrat who probably couldn't find the 2nd Congressional District on a map," said Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Ga., who sits on the House Appropriations Committee.

Without earmarks, staffers said, Bishop would have never been able to get a Sumter County hospital the $300,000 they needed for storm windows after storms ravished the area, or the roughly $10 million for a combat vehicle warehouse in Albany to store military vehicles that were in danger of rusting from the elements. During the current fiscal year, Bishop has singularly sponsored 38 earmarks for $40 million in projects.

Hal Kirven Columbus, GA