There has been a lot of talk about “earmarks” ever since the presidential campaign. In fact in lots of ways I learned about earmarks because of the campaign. Prior to the campaign I just knew that we wanted our representatives to work on our behalf, and bring good results back to our state, and to our community. Never knew that those good things that we needed were called “earmarks.”
You can find definitions of the word “earmark” online these days. Get a full definition at the Office for Management and Budget. Here is a simpler definition from Wikipedia:
In US politics, an earmark is a congressional provision that directs approved funds to be spent on specific projects or that directs specific exemptions from taxes or mandated fees.
Earmarks can be found both in legislation (also called “Hard earmarks” or “Hardmarks”) and in the text of Congressional committee reports (also called “Soft earmarks” or “Softmarks”). Hard earmarks are binding and have the effect of law, while soft earmarks do not have the effect of law but by custom are acted on as if they were binding. Typically, a legislator seeks to insert earmarks that direct a specified amount of money to a particular organization or project in his/her home state or district.
Our representative, Norm Dicks, has been looking out for our interests in our state, and here in Mason County (and other counties). I was especially pleased to see that he is seeking more funds to continue working on the problem of those dead zones in Hood Canal that I’ve mentioned before on this site. Hood Canal is a beautiful natural resource that needs some help to be brought back to its natural state. We humans have abused it, and now it is up to us to see if we can help repair the damage.
He is also seeking funds for a General Investigation Study for the development of feasible river basin restoration activities . The Army Corps, Skokomish Tribe and Mason County can then undertake the necessary work to fully restore the Skokomish River Basin.
Highway 101 really needs work and updating, and Norm is asking for funds to take care of our most used highway. As part of the larger US Highway 101 Improvement Project, this project is being coordinated with the wastewater objectives that address a top national environmental priority - cleaning up and maintaining the water quality of the Lower Hood Canal. Specifically, this funding would be used for construction on Reservation Road including sidewalks that will run the full length of the main residential community and new street lighting.
And he is seeking money for our historic ”Shelton Armory,” purchased by Mason Transit in 2006, and remodel it into a viable multimodal transportation center that will significantly improve access for residents and visitors seeking retail centers, local government, social services, recreational activities, job training programs, and other activities.
Now these things may mean nothing to people in other states, and their representatives could start yelling about “earmarks,” but our County could really use these funds and these projects. Earmarks has been a very normal part of business in government for years and years.
These are requests, and who knows what the final outcome will be. We can only wait and see. When the earmarks benefit my community — hey, they are good earmarks!
Tags: congressional, earmarks, hood canal, norm dicks
