Another stimulus? Oink!

A consensus seems to be growing for the next congressional stimulus package to be directed toward local infrastructure projects — roads, bridges, highways and the like — rather than toward another round of checks for each American.

But your nose would have to be pretty congested not to smell where this will go in a Congress crawling with pork-barrel projects and political favors.

On its face, the idea has merit. Much of the nation's critical infrastructure is in disrepair. By focusing a stimulus on it, Washington could help maintain the flow of commerce and create jobs. Each project would add temporary jobs to the work force, perhaps lasting long enough until the economy gets back on its feet.

Unfortunately, Congress has shown itself utterly incapable of doing this in a fair and reasonable manner.

In fact, it would be fair to argue that the $700 billion bailout bill Congress passed to rescue banks provided the very type of stimulus now being sought. That is because Congress dipped below even its own low expectations and added $110 billion in pork to it. An Oregon manufacturer of wooden arrows got $2 million. Racetrack owners got $100 million. Rum producers in Puerto Rico got $192 million. The list goes on.

Each of these must have provided, or preserved, jobs. Their value in terms of a legitimate public purpose, however, is highly questionable. There is little reason to believe a stimulus for transportation-related projects would end up any differently, or that it wouldn't be laden with even more pork.

Transportation funding is more susceptible to earmarks than most government programs. The 2005 highway reauthorization bill has become heavy with thousands of special projects.

The only way Congress could provide such a stimulus with credibility would be to set up an independent commission whose job would be to prioritize the nation's infrastructure needs and decide where money should go. The commission would need to be established quickly and given a speedy timetable in order to stimulate the economy as quickly as possible. As with the military base closure commission of a decade ago, its final decisions should be handed to Congress for an up-or-down vote.

That may be a difficult process for politicians to accept. But America can't afford to turn economic stimulation into a Darwinian battle among the nation's most powerful and influential elected officials.