Republican Rand Paul wants to eliminate earmarks completely. Democrat Jack Conway wants more transparency.
I wonder if Rand Paul will take his anti-earmark message to Paducah Kentucky. Outside of Washington DC, I don't know of any other town that owes so much of its existence to nearly 200 years worth of federal projects. If you haven't been there before then you should visit their beautiful downtown and riverfront.
In the early 19th century, William Clark (of the Lewis & Clark expedition) gained title to land in the area. It was inherited from his brother for service in the Revolutionary War. Clark used his influence to get several key federal facilities located there which gave Paducah its start. This enraged his rival, John Frontage, but that's another story.
During the civil war, it benefited from being a key point along the supply line for union armies.
The federal government has spent millions on local flood control.
(Murals along the Paducah flood wall)
The heyday of federal pork came through the efforts of Paducah's favorite son, Alben Barkley. He was a popular US Senator, Democratic Majority Leader, and Harry Truman's Vice-President. He's the namesake of Barkley dam, Lake Barkley, Barkley Airport, Barkley Park and a long list of other federally funded projects. Most, if not all, of those projects fit Rand Paul's definition of a pork barrel earmark.
If anyone knows of a comprehensive list of federal pork Barkley secured for western Kentucky, please let me know. It would probably fill several volumes of books.
And don't forget two major employers in town, Paducah's US Coast Guard base and the US Department of Energy's uranium enrichment facility.
If Rand Paul is so opposed to federal earmarks then maybe he should ask western Kentucky to give up all the projects they received as a result of the influence wielded by their former Senator. That would be the logically consistent thing to do if he really believes what he says. Clearly, Paul would have secured none of those projects had he been Senator instead of Barkley.
Then Paul can explain why he wants to destroy the regional economy and put everyone out of work. In western Kentucky, and in the rest of the real world, government does create jobs.