THE ISSUE: Despite a 2006 Republican to Democrat power shift in the U.S. Congress and subsequent earmark reforms, the practice of lawmakers adding pet projects and contracts to legislation carried a price tag of nearly $15 billion this year. OUR OPINION: Earmarks, or pork, can create essential public works projects and needed jobs, but the process should be as public as possible.

It doesn't matter what term is used - earmarks or pork - the practice of adding favored projects to pending legislation remains as much a part of the federal government as do the red, white and blue colors of our flag.

This newspaper joined 50 others nationwide in an examination of pork barrel practices, the results of which were published Sunday and Monday. The unusual partnership of widespread newspapers was coordinated by The Associated Press, Associated Press Managing Editors, the Sunlight Foundation and Taxpayers for Common Sense.

Nationwide the project determined that despite public outrage that resulted in a congressional power shift two years ago, more than 11,000 earmarks for pet projects and contracts were slipped into legislation this year. The expense to taxpayers from all this pork? Nearly $15 billion.

In Illinois, the story is much the same. During the current fiscal year, Illinois captured more than $394 million in earmarks. That total puts Illinois into the Top 10 of states benefitting from pork, in seventh place.

But is that really such a bad thing? To some extent, it all depends on what we might call the cut of the pork.

Our area's Democratic congressman, Jerry Costello of Belleville, worked with Republican Congressman Ray LaHood of Peoria to secure a $3.2 million defense contract for General Dynamics, a Virginia-based firm that operates a munitions plant in Marion. Few people in our jobs-hungry region would criticize the efforts by Costello and LaHood.

"I see one of my main responsibilities as doing everything I can to help the local economy retain the jobs we have and bring in new ones," Costello told The Southern.

Former Congressman Ken Gray was dubbed the "Prince of Pork" for his career effectiveness at securing earmark money for Southern Illinois - about $7 billion for more than 1,000 public works projects in the region. A portion of Interstate 57 was recently renamed in his honor, a suitable gesture for the $300 million he landed for the construction work on Interstates 57, 64 and 24.

"If building hospitals, nursing homes and highways is pork, then I say pass the plate," Gray told The Southern.

He said the interstate highways saved lives and triggered another $400 million in projects in Marion alone. Gray also said the Rend Lake dam project saved $100 million in downstream damages from massive flooding six years ago.

That's the critical point about earmarks. We see the value in projects and contracts that serve the general public. It's what we expect from the men and women we send to Washington, D.C. But we join in the criticism of projects that appear more linked to congressional campaign donations than real need.

Does the cash-rich Shedd Aquarium in Chicago really need earmarks totaling $1.8 million? The aquarium was $8 million in the black last year and recently launched a four-year, $100 million fundraising campaign.

It may seem like pork to someone in Southern Illinois, but to those who support the Windy City's lakefront aquarium, arguably a true cultural treasure, the earmarks constitute an important project.

The earmark process is more transparent today, requiring legislators to sign a paper verifying they have no financial interest in the recipient and prohibiting earmarks from being used to influence other lawmakers.

We encourage further transparency, allowing for informed discussions and fact-based debates. Taxpayers foot the bill for the earmarks and deserve as much information as possible about what they're buying - before the bills are due.

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