Before answering the questions, think about the following:

• An appropriation is defined as a legislative act authorizing the expenditure of a designated amount of public funds for a specific purpose.
• The purpose of the Senate Appropriations Committee is to control the appropriations process, as well as to ensure better management of Government spending by giving one committee the sole responsibility to examine executive agency budget estimates.
• Pork-barrel, or ear-mark spending is a process by which congressmen add expenses for special projects onto important legislation that have nothing to do with the legislation to earn favor from voters in their states.  Adding the expenses onto legislation that needs to get passed ensures that it will pass through Congress easily.  The added expenses are used for special projects for Members of Congress to distribute to their constituents back home as an act of largesse, courtesy of the federal taxpayer.
• In one case of pork-barrel spending in 2006, the Senate added billions of dollars in non-emergency spending to a bill that was meant to provide emergency funds for our troops in the field and those still recovering from Hurricane Katrina.

1.  What is another name for the term "earmark?"

2.  List all of the earmarks mentioned in this article.  Be specific.

3.  a) Do you think we should allow our elected officials to use our tax dollars for the purposes above?  Explain your answer.
b)  Ask a parent to answer the same question after showing him/her the article.

4.  a) Who is Nancy Pelosi?
b)  What promise did Mrs. Pelosi make when Democrats took control of both houses of Congress after last year's election?

5.  a) What is the purpose of the federal government, according to the Preamble of the Constitution?
b) Should this include funding worthwhile projects? Explain your answer.

6.  World Impact, a Christian organization serving troubled youth, has received over $1.6 million through earmarks. 
a)  How does World Impact president Keith Phillips justify raising money through earmarks?
b)  Do you agree with his reasoning?  Explain your answer.

7.  Who is John Murtha?
b)  How much money did Mr. Murtha get for his home district in earmarks this year?
c)  How did Mr. Murtha react when two Republican lawmakers questioned his earmarks?

8.  a) What reform in the earmark process was made this year?
b)  What problems still remain, according to Steve Ellis of Taxpayers for Common Sense?
c)  How did Mr. Murtha react to a reporter who complained about the continuing difficulty of gaining information about earmarks?

9.  Name the two congressmen mentioned in the article who oppose pork-barrel spending.

10.  Send an email to Rep. Pelosi at House.gov requesting that she carry out her promise to reform earmark spending.  Also, write to your own Senators and Representative expressing your opinion about earmark spending.  Be clear, concise and polite.  (Find contact information at Senate.gov and www.House.gov.)