Inouye was applauded and hailed by state politicians and residents for being the King of Pork.  As Chairman of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, Inouye was able to make Hawaii the top state per capita in earmarked Federal dollars.  It was not free money as many believe; it was money paid to the government by taxpayer.  The problem with earmarks is that they are more about political muscle instead of project merit.  Funding decisions are based on who is asking for the money rather than on projects to be funded.   It is a corrupt system and should be banned.  If projects deserve funding with Federal dollars, they should be included in appropriate legislation and go through the legislative process instead of sneaking them into legislation as “riders” after the legislation has been approved by both house of Congress.  The inconvenient truth is that every dollar spent on earmarks is a dollar added to the deficit.