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Columbia Homeland Security

News21 fellows at Columbia – ten 2006 graduates of its Graduate School of Journalism and one from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government – have spent months, in teams and alone, following the Department of Homeland Security. We’ve used new, computer-assisted reporting techniques to assess information in federal databases and we’ve used old-fashioned reporting techniques to interview dozens of current and former DHS officials, industry executives, academics, advocates, lobbyists and individuals affected by homeland security issues. We’ve investigated the department’s management and the operations of many subsidiary agencies, and we’ve scrutinized private-sector companies that are selling homeland security services to the government. What we found was always interesting and frequently unique.

What Do You Think - Should Earmarks Be Banned?

Balance the Arguments; Share Your Viewpoint
By Anthony Basich, July 24, 2006
Image: Earmark1

Earmarks essentially are federal outlays for a specific project or purpose, slipped into a congressional appropriations bill without debate, usually at the behest of a single lawmaker, and often at the last minute.

We’re going to ask you to tell us whether or not you think earmarks are a problem in today’s political process. Depending on your answer, we’re going to present a counterargument – and you can repeat the process a number of times until you’ve made up your mind. Then you can share your final viewpoint on our comments page.

So, should earmarks be banned? Click YES or NO

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