Transparency is difficult in such immense spending bills as there is no way the appropriations committee can vet all the thousands of earmarks. [1] [2] Earmarks move below the radar so earmarks encourage corruption. [3] Although collusion cannot easily be proved, the ability of a Congressman to solicit campaign contributions in exchange for using earmarks to provide federal investment, subsidies, tariff protection and tax breaks for individual firms and industries is worrying. [4]  [1] Rauch, Jonathan, ‘Earmarks Are A Model, Not A Menace’, 2009  [2] Minge, David, ‘The Case Against Academic Earmarking’  [3] Minge, David, ‘The Case Against Academic Earmarking’  [4] Lessig, Lawrence, ‘the wong in earmarks’, 2008