Big Daddy goes on the earmark wagon

I read the story in this morning's paper about how Robert C. Byrd of all people says he's willing to give up his projects for 2007 if that allows Congress to find a way out of the fiscal chaos (his words) the outgoing Republican Congress has created.

A little while ago, AP moved a story listing several "earmarks" that could be in danger here in West Virginia: $89 million for a federal prison in McDowell County; $50 million for the FBI fingerprint center in Clarksburg; $2.3 million for the Morgantown airport. The big one here is $11 million for health and science projects at Marshall University.

According to the AP, speculation is that the Democrats will go back to earmarking in 2008, after some reforms meant to make the system more transparent and accountable are in place.

Pardon my memory lapse, but wasn't Byrd one of two senators who invoked a secrecy rule this past summer when people started objecting to a pork-heavy spending bill?

And didn't Byrd campaign on the fact he is the "Big Daddy" ("Yeah, man") who brings money home to West Virginia.

I still wonder what's really going on here. Real reform"? Some kind of game? Something that sounds good now but something the politicians know we will all forget after Christmas?

Someone please tell me because I really have no idea.