Argument: Earmark spending is more targeted and effective

Support

Jonathan Rauch. “Earmarks Are A Model, Not A Menace”. National Journal. March 14, 2009 – “Competition for funding, combined with flexibility and local knowledge, makes earmarks ‘often some of the best expenditures the federal government makes in a particular area,’ Lilly says. ‘I would say, on the whole, earmarks probably provide as much value-added as non-earmarked federal spending.'”