Earmarks are not as bad as projected by some politicians. Every complex thing has some amount of waste. Complex law has loop holes, big grocery store has to discard more rotten vegitables, etc. Even in health care waste is unavoidable due to complexity. The list goes on and on. I think that most of earmarks are good. I think that famous 3million dollar projection for a Chicago museum is an excellent earmark (Although Mccain thought otherwise).

In a way, ability to pull one or more of opposition party members to vote for something is very positive. Otherwise, the govt can do anything  constructive. Especially now, when republicans gang up to block any idea that will help economy. They want obama to fail, so that someone from them can get back into white house in 2012.