BOSTON — The nation has so many libraries documenting the historical role of presidents that it would be easy to overlook the importance of the legislative branch. For that reason, it is heartening to learn that the educational institution to be built in Sen. Edward Kennedy's honor on the UMass-Boston campus will focus not just on his achievements but also on the Senate and the impact it has had on the country's history.
But it would be a sad irony if the funding for the Edward M.
Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate came via an earmarks process that symbolizes much of what the public dislikes about legislative politics.
Sen. John F. Kerry's earmarking of $20 million for the institute in the defense budget is a wellintentioned tribute to his friend and mentor, but also a misuse of the appropriations process.
In the mix of private and public money for the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate, any taxpayer contribution should come in the form of a straightforward vote on the measure's merits. It should not be an amendment tucked away in a $360 billion bill that senators will be loath to reject at a time when the United States is fighting two wars.
Kerry, who persuaded the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee to add the earmark to the defense bill, said the outlay is justified to the extent that it recognizes Kennedy's tenure on the Senate Armed Services Committee. That doesn't wash. Defense appropriations should be for the personnel, weapons, supplies, fuel and research that best provide for the nation's security. : - The Boston Globe
News, Pages 6 on 09/30/2009