The Christian Science Monitor is running a series of articles on pork-barrel politics, the latest of which focuses on defense earmarks in West Viriginia. Here's what a defense contractor had to say about a military production facility (ABL) that earmarks have helped develop: "This plant is the sole producer of more than a dozen critical weapons systems," says Pat Nolan, executive vice president for ATK Tactical Systems, which operates ABL under a contract with the Navy. "There's not one dollar spent on this plant that's not delivering value back to DOD.... We're a very critical part of [its] industrial base." And here's what locals had to say: But locals glad to see an economic rebound aren't concerned about the controversy over earmarks. "ABL is a tremendous asset to this region," says local historian Albert Feldstein. Children no longer have to leave the region to find a job, says ABL program manager Paul Corwell, who says he has two brothers, a brother-in-law, two first cousins, and the wife of a cousin all working on site. "This plant really is a national asset and the reason people don't appreciate that is because they don't know about it," he adds. West Virginia is the 2nd-poorest state in the Union, and its economy can use all the help it can get. Here, earmarks seem like an appropriate tool for both fostering economic development and providing needed government services. If lawmakers decide to reform the earmark process, they should make sure that they don't rule out creating programs that people really need. Christian Science Monitor: Welcome to Byrd Country