The family porkbuster

I sometimes feel guilty that I don’t write more about “pork.” It’s a legitimate issue, just not one I easily get excited about.
Fortunately, my daughter Emily doesn’t suffer from my cynicism, or whatever it is that keeps me from being out-front on pork issues. Today, she and fellow intern Jonathan San have an article in the Examiner about their efforts to determine which Senators and Representatives have signed the Earmark Transparency Pledge. The pledge requires signatories to post a list of requested earmarks on their Web sites. Such postings would include the names, addresses and locations of the projects, as well as the amount of funding requested, the purpose of the earmark, and a guarantee that the representative does not personally benefit from it.
As the Examiner piece shows, getting straight answers from the offices the two interns contacted proved quite a challenge. My favorite episode involves Senator Webb’s office, where a staffer eventually told Emily “I don