Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss

When voters threw out the Republican congressional majorities last fall, one reason was frustration over pork barrell spending, epitomized by the practice of "earmarking."

The new Congress, we were assured, would be different.

Today, the 2008 budget for Health and Human Services rolled through the House Ways & Means Committee, Chaired by Congressman Charlie B. Rangel of New York. It includes one of the largest earmarks anywhere in the budget, $2 million for the City College of New York, to be spent specifically on... the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service.