To earmark or not to earmark, that is the question. Some presidential rhetoric leads us to believe that congressional earmarks are evil and should be eliminated. Congressional earmarks run about $18 billion a year, an extremely small amount relative to the entire federal budget.

Since becoming a city councilmen in 2005, I have joined other city officials in traveling to Washington, D.C., to obtain earmarks to assist in correcting the city’s combined sewer overflows as mandated by the Department of Natural Resources and the Environmental Protection Agency. Since 2003, we have been successful in obtaining earmarks totaling $5,867,400.

I would venture to guess the vast majority of congressional earmarks are identical to those received by Ottumwa, i.e.; earmarks to resolve critical infrastructure problems.

A bridge to nowhere in Alaska and a rain forest in the middle of Iowa, of course, are ridiculous. However, until Congress eliminates unfunded mandates, congressional earmarks are vital to the infrastructure needs of Ottumwa.

Gordon Aistrope

City Councilman

Ottumwa