House Republican leaders also have been hectoring Frist to recall his troops to adopt big infusions of earmarked pork that have been placed in the bill without hearings or debate. Rep. C.W. (Bill) Young, House Appropriations chairman, has sponsored the single largest morsel for his St. Petersburg, Fla., district: $50 million to keep a new Treasure Island Causeway toll free. The bridge would not be paid for by people who use it but by all Americans, which is the essence of the congressional pork system.
St. Petersburg benefits from being represented by the Appropriations Committee chairman, with Young earmarking $300,000 for the Dali Museum there. Other big-time earmarks include $1.9 million for a wind demonstration project in Texas, $1.2 for inspiring science and technology in Manchester, N.H., and $725,000 for the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia.
Iowa gets about $17.5 million in projects thanks to Sen. Charles Grassley, who as Senate Finance Committee chairman is one of the reigning kings of pork. But Iowa lags behind Tennessee, which has a majority leader. Frist last week trumpeted $53 million in earmarks for his state. That's how $1 million each is provided for safe docking at the Beale Street Landing in Memphis and electric transit vehicle research in Chattanooga.
None of this pork will be debated or seriously scrutinized, much less eliminated. The lassitude of the legislative process leads to immense catchall bills that discourage analysis and defy dismemberment. The most enthusiastic of congressional earmarkers deplore the delay, but not even the sweet taste of pork can interfere with lawmakers taking their leisure.