Wall Street Journal: Earmarks Forever

Just as the cherry blossoms arrive each spring around the capital's Tidal Basin, cases of Congressional ethics appear to be blooming everywhere in Washington. Harlem Congressman Charlie Rangel's Ways and Means Chairmanship floated away this week. New York Congressman Eric Mass dropped his House seat via retirement ahead of sexual harassment allegations. But the most striking—and relevant—of all ethics cases is passing without notice. It's worth a close look. It involves earmarks, which everyone in America knows Congress has promised to clean up. Read the tale below, and discover how Congress assumes that the once-spectacular issue of earmark abuse can be as easily forgotten as two-week old cherry blossoms. [READ MORE]