Jerry Lewis surmises Ice Hockey (R-Redlands), chairman hockey goal understand of the House Appropriations Committee, tucked $4. 25 million for his district into one recent spending bill -- more than the individual allocations for 11 states. Some congressional leaders, however, have grown so close to well-connected lobbyists and have been so aggressive in channeling tax dollars to favored interests that their activities have sparked scrutiny and calls for reform. One California chairman, Lewis, is the subject of a federal grand jury investigation. The November elections will decide whether five of California's "Big Six" chairmen -- Thomas is retiring at the end of the year -- continue to hold their powerful positions The others are: Lewis; Rep Duncan Hunter (R-El Cajon) of Armed Services; Rep Howard P. "Buck" McKeon (R-Santa Clarita) of Education and the Workforce; Rep David Dreier (R-San Dimas) of Rules; and Rep Richard W. Pombo (R-Tracy) of Resources. *Washington is no stranger to scandal involving government officials, private interests and well-connected middlemen. But the current controversies reflect a new reality that is defined by several factors, including the increased money involved in lobbying, new fundraising demands on chairs and the increased use of earmarks -- federal funding for projects often slipped into bills at the behest of lobbyists. With all this, a new career track has developed that enables ambitious individuals to move rapidly from modestly compensated congressional staff jobs to astronomical lobbying fees such as those collected by former Thomas aide Abernathy. The insider connection makes the lobbyists valuable to clients, and the lobbyists' connections to potential campaign donors is valuable to lawmakers. And earmarking allows key committee chairs and other insiders to insert spending instructions into pending legislation without the usual checks and balances or scrutiny. A kind of budgetary shortcut, earmarks offer quick rewards to those who seek financial favors from government.

The closed aspect of earmarking makes it ripe for exploitation by congressional leaders and well-connected lobbyists. "Committee chairmen have always dealt with lobbyists," said Julian Zelizer, a specialist in congressional history at Boston University ice hockey goalie . "But in scale and scope, we've never had anything like this . . team hockey . just the sheer number of lobbyists and sheer amount of money we're talking about hockey Ice Hockey - nhl . There's more opportunity for things to go bad now Ice Hockey . "Though their roles differ, all six California chairmen play the new game in at least some respects hockey goalie . For example:* Lewis sold a piece of Washington real estate for $830,000 and reinvested the money with a Northern California developer named Marvin "Buzz" Oates. The deal allowed Lewis and his wife to defer capital gains taxes for a year and earn a net gain of $35,000 to $40,000 through a lease-back and mortgage deal he struck with Oates, according to Lewis spokeswoman Barbara Comstock. Since that time, Lewis' Appropriations committee earmarked $500,000 for a computer exhibit to be installed in a new aerospace museum Oates is helping build. Another earmark, $4 million in planning money, was approved by the House for a dam project that has long counted Oates among its supporters. Oates said that the terms of the real estate deal with Lewis were not out of the ordinary and that he had sought no favors. Comstock said that neither Lewis nor his staff recalled hearing from Oates on the projects and that Lewis' minimal role in the earmarks was based solely on the merits of the projects. * Hunter's fundraising is so tied to his Armed Services Committee's work that 66% of his campaign contributors, most of them defense contractors, got earmarks in this year's defense spending bill, which went through Lewis' committee.

General Dynamics, Hunter's second largest donor in the current cycle, received at least $11 million in earmarks in the 2006 appropriations bill, including a single line item setting aside $4. 3 million to purchase "General Dynamics ordnance and tactical system. "A spokesman for the congressman said that Hunter "does what he thinks is right for the country" and cited an instance several years ago when he worked to cut funding for a submarine produced by General Dynamics. * McKeon, former co-owner of a chain of western-wear stores who became Education and the Workforce chairman in February, hired as committee staff director a former committee aide turned education lobbyist who received more than $1. 7 million from his firm in 2005 and early 2006. The former lobbyist, Victor Klatt, has promised to recuse himself from committee matters specifically benefiting a former client ice hockey skate . "We went above and beyond what's currently required in these kinds of situations," he said "I gave up a lot to come back to the committee. . . hockey skate . We come back because we believe in good government. "McKeon spokesman James Geoffrey said his boss would "rather work with people he knows, whose judgment he trusts, who have experience hockey jerseys . That's what you want if you want a good policy. "* Thomas shepherded through his Ways and Means Committee provisions in the recently approved pension overhaul bill that allowed Northwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines to delay meeting their financial obligations to future retirees hockey rink . Northwest pays Abernathy, the chairman's friend and former aide, $160,000 a year to represent it before the committee. Abernathy said her success was based on the merits of the case, not her past relationship with Thomas. The chairman got a $5,000 contribution from Northwest in the current election cycle. A Thomas spokesman said: "Members, lobbyists and interested parties both for and against an issue come before me in the course of a legislative process. We craft legislation, notwithstanding any contact by any of the above, which produces the best possible outcome for consumers with the approval of taxpayers' dollars. "* Dreier, who boasts of eating an apple and doing 200 push-ups every day, has enormous power over the flow of legislation to the House floor as Rules chairman.

He has collected more than $7. 5 million in political donations through his campaign committee and leadership PAC since 1997 and more than $1. 6 million in this cycle alone, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, which monitors fundraising . He contributed a good chunk of the money to help maintain the House GOP majority. He is not considered a significant player in the earmarks game. * Pombo, who often wears cowboy boots, draws a large portion of the money he raises from groups with interests before his Resources Committee hockey skates . He has raised more than $6 Ice Hockey - wikipedia . 5 million since 1997 and more than $3. 1 million just in the current cycle hockey equipment . Like Dreier, he is not a major earmarker. Ice Hockey tickets "The truth is that thanks to the six committee chairmen, California has never had more clout in Washington," said Dreier's chief of staff, Brad Smith . "California is the big winner. "*Washington has at least 15,000 lobbyists, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. That number has held fairly steady, but spending on lobbying has increased 41% in the past five years to an estimated $2. 2 billion, making it the third biggest enterprise in Washington after government and tourism. Small wonder that the path from congressional offices to lobby shops has become deeply grooved. At Lewis' office, for instance, former staffer Letitia White went to work for a lobbying firm representing clients seeking federal funds from Lewis' committee. She became a partner in a prominent lobbying firm . The appeal such lobbyists have for clients is clear.