The Byrds

There were a lot of eulogies for Senator Robert Byrd last week, and almost all mentioned how much he'd done for the state of West Virginia. By this they mostly meant all the federal dollars he was able to divert there.

This is how Senators are often judged--how well they bring home the bacon. But isn't this a zero sum game? States send money to Washington, and whoever gets the most back wins? With every state, big or small, getting two Senators, this can't be the original purpose of the Senate. The idea was they'd be a wise body that could be, relatively speaking, above politics (hence they originally weren't elected) and could do what's best for the nation as a whole--which explains whey they have all that "advice and consent" power.

I don't blame Byrd, or all the little Byrds. What else can they do? The Founders had no idea Washington would become a giant ATM. When politics is about doling out money, states would be crazy not to want to get as much as they can. That this deforms what politics should be about is the unfortunate side effect.