I do like, however, how Obama came out last year and made public every earmark he authored. He challenged all the other candidates to do the same and Ron Paul was the only one to take him up on it.

That said, earmarks are a malignant cancer in the body politic. They permit legalized bribery of our elected representatives. They permit our elected representatives to participate and profit from “Dishonest Graft” as distinct from “Honest Graft”. “Dishonest Graft” being a practice that was shunned by George Washington Pickett – one of the most corrupt politicians in the most corrupt political systems (Tammany Hall – New York) in the history of America. “Dishonest Graft” was shunned by Pickett but is practiced frequently through the use of earmarks by our legislators today.

There is no room for earmarking in our system, it completely subverts the intent of the constitution on how public funds should be allocated and spent. This vote assures that after a few years of unified Democratic party government, we will be seeing dozens of Democratic Party legislators doing perp walks, just like we have been seeing it with Republicans in the post Abramoff post unifed Republican government era.

This vote was a very sad day for America.

Actually, budgets are increased in order to fit in all the pork created by earmarks. Thus, earmarks encourage spending. And they encourage reckless spending as congressmen and women compete to funnel federal dollars into their district by whatever means are necessary, even when that includes funding less than needed projects. I think there is definitely room for earmarking, I just think the current system leads to abuse.