My Favorite Earmark Defense
From a NYTimes.com article on the $6 billion plus in earmarks in the current budget bill, here's my favorite defense of an earmark, $800K for research on skin bumps caused by shaving:
"Senator Christopher S. Bond, Republican of Missouri, obtained $800,000 for the Pentagon to spend on a drug treatment for a skin condition, pseudofolliculitis barbae, popularly known as shaving bumps or razor bumps. The drug is made by a small pharmaceutical company in the St. Louis area.
'The Defense Department has long recognized pseudofolliculitis barbae as a serious dermatological condition that disproportionately affects African-American and Hispanic men, and up to 33 percent of active-duty military men,' said Shana Marchio, a spokeswoman for Mr. Bond. This condition not only causes painful lesions but also 'affects combat readiness and personal safety,' by making it more difficult for men to use gas masks and oxygen masks, Ms. Marchio said."
Two minorities, military men and national defense. Hard to attack that pork.
7 comments:
So, who is the minority, the military men? Are they going to test the drug on them?
Jenny, only the 33% of them that are black or hispanic.
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It would have been cheaper and just as effective to let them grow beards.
I don't know why the military is so vehemently anti-hair.
Dave,
I remember when I was in boot camp for the U.S. Air Force in October of 1980. The blacks and hispanics did not have to shave because of this condition and received waivers if they had it from a doctor. Meanwhile, I had to shave everyday and my moustache had to be of the Hitler variety in order to be in regulation. They allowed moustaches but no beards, unless of course you were black or hispanic and had this skin condition.
Peace!
Keith
I was in Air Force basic training ten years after Keith, but not much had changed in that time. As a basic training "trainee" I was not allowed to have any facial hair.
There was actually a shaving clinic set up at Lackland AFB to teach airmen who were subject to PFB how to shave so as to minimize the occurrence.
So... why the 800k earmark now? If this condition has been an issue since AT LEAST 1980, why now?
another demonstration of the ignorance of earmarking.
BTW, hard to wear a gas mask with a full beard.
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