Say Rahm E. gave a million to his alma matter, which let’s say is NU (it’s not). Fine.  Say he gave $900G to Adler Planetarium.  Philanthropists do that and get good space in local papers. Say he adopts Milwaukee Avenue, as highway signs urge adopting stretches of highway, and coughs up another $8 million.  All of it would be fine. He did it all, in fact, but not with his own money. With other people’s money in his capacity as a Congress Member!

Writing from Oak Park, I must ask, What about our own man in DC, Danny K. Davis, who in 2006 preened himself and was warmly appreciated in a Village Hall town hall-style meeting, in a very expensive suit, bragging (and later being bragged about, I am sure) that he got us $400G to pay for considering capping the Eisenhower?

In DC, that jumbo ATM for the nation, Davis is the man from Illinois-7th, the entire West Side and beyond, for which he goes begging. For FY 2008, the year whence came earmarks in the just-presidentially-signed $410 billion spending bill (budget), Davis requested $3,935,000 as a solo endeavor, of $41,819,000 in all, including joint requests with other Congress members of $37,884,000.

Where else can a guy like him, who never worked at a for-profit job, get that kind of money to spread around — and preen himself on in a town-hall meeting? To be elected to Congress, ah, such a consummation to be wished! Such a bonanza for the public-spirited citizen in expensive suits!

Davis comes by his not-for-profit status honestly, having joined the socialist New Party by September 1998 and received its enthusiastic support. Indeed, he was praised by Democratic Socialists of America as “an old friend of DSA.” So was Obama, for that matter, who also enjoyed DSA support in his 1996 quest for a state senate seat.

But I digress. The point is that Davis can have no problem with earmarks, having lived off public money his whole professional life.