Kent Conrad: “Spending public money is something we should take very seriously. It is one of the most important things we do. We all…”

“Spending public money is something we should take very seriously. It is one of the most important things we do. We all have to remember, it is not our money. This spending of public money should be done on merit; it should be done on a cost-benefit basis; it should be done on getting the most bang for our buck. Spending public money should not be based on your political party. It should not be based on what State you come from. It should not be based on which committee you are assigned to. And it should certainly not be based on how politically vulnerable you might be in the next election. If you look at the numbers, for example, the minority Members of the House of Representatives who represent primarily African-American districts, it is frankly hard to explain that they get less in earmarking money than even the Republican Members of the House. Why is that? Many of them are in politically safe seats. In other words, what happens around here sometimes is you get more money if everyone thinks you need to be able to spend more money because that will help you get reelected. Well, that is a goofy way to spend public money.”