With Such Standards, Everyone is Heroic

I sent this letter yesterday to the Washington Post:

Rick Perlstein suggests
that it’s petty and unjustified to criticize Sen. Hillary Clinton for
earmarking $1M of taxpayers’ funds to pay for a museum at Woodstock
("Getting Past the ’60s? It’s Not Going to Happen," February 3). His
argument is that the amount of money involved is so relatively small -
only "one-millionth of the federal budget."

The ethical
standards to which we hold politicians are truly meager. Mr. Perlstein
apparently cares neither about the constitutionality of such earmarks
nor about whether or not they serve the public interest. Earmarks such as
this one are okay, in his view, simply because the size of each one is
so paltry in comparison with Uncle Sam’s budget. I wonder if Mr.
Perlstein or Sen. Clinton would excuse me if I refused to pay my taxes
this year on grounds that my taxes are an infinitesimal portion of
federal revenue.