Overview

It has become part of US political convention to attack 'earmarks' - legislative provisions that direct funds to specific projects - as wasteful and corrupt. In this provocative book Scott A. Frisch and Sean Q. Kelly argue that in fact earmarks are good for American democracy. Using extensive interviews with Washington insiders and detailed examples they illustrate how earmark projects that were pilloried in fact responded to the legitimate needs of local communities, needs that would otherwise have gone unmet. They also demonstrate that media coverage of earmarks tends to be superficial and overly-dramatic. Cheese Factories on the Moon is a much-needed challenge to a widespread but deeply flawed 'consensus' about what is wrong with US congressional spending.

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9781594517303

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I m a fan and am delighted to see such a book at just the right moment in the debate about earmarks.

I m a fan and am delighted to see such a book at just the right moment in the debate about earmarks.-- Mickey Edwards, Aspen Institute and former U.S. Representative (R-Oklahoma)

Author Information

Scott A. Frisch is Professor of Political Science at California State University. He and Sean Kelly have coauthored several books, including, most recently, Jimmy Carter and the Water Wars: Presidential Influence and the Politics of Pork (2008). Sean Q. Kelly is Associate Professor of Political Science at California State University. He is a former APSA Congressional Fellow serving as a policy analyst for the Senate Democratic Policy Committee.

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