This letter hit the Roundtable page today:

Ms. Lawson ("Cut pork from Iraq bill," May 8) seems to blame the Democrats for loading the bill with pork. I think Ms. Lawson fails to recognize that what seems like pork to you and me is "bringing home the bacon" to the local voters. When Congresswoman McMorris Rodgers brings home a few million dollars to our district we think it's great. Voters in Wisconsin probably think it's pork.

I'd also like to point out that the primary reason the bill was loaded with "pork" was because that's the only way it was going to pass the Congress. The Republicans would only vote for it when they got something out of it and the pork is what justifies their vote. They can go home and say they didn't agree with it but it had millions for our district so I voted for it for the good of our district. That is, unless they support the underlying legislation and blame the "other" party for adding the pork.

Regrettably, that's the way politics works. Add-ons to legislation are standard operating procedure for both parties. Let's not point fingers. -- Stephen Berde, Spokane
(Photo by Holly Pickett, The Spokesman-Review)

There is much to be said for not pointing fingers, as it usually backfires. I wonder, though, if "both sides do it" is a good enough reason not to try to look at the "problem of pork." Cathy McMorris Rodgers is rather successful at bringing home the bacon, but should voters have a larger perspective than that?

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