Probably beating a dead horse but...

So I'm a cynical bitch - that's been established. So I spent some time purusing the Senate "bailout" bill. Imagine my relief to find that children's wooden arrows are being protected from unnecessary taxes...

SEC. 503. EXEMPTION FROM EXCISE TAX FOR CERTAIN WOODEN ARROWS DESIGNED FOR USE BY CHILDREN.
(a) IN GENERAL.-
Paragraph (2) of section 4161(b) is amended by redesignating subparagraph (B) as subparagraph (C) and by inserting after subparagraph (A) the following new subparagraph:
'(B) EXEMPTION FOR CERTAIN WOODEN ARROW SHAFTS.
-Subparagraph (A) shall not apply to any shaft consisting of all natural wood with no laminations or artificial means of
enhancing the spine of such shaft (whether sold separately or incorporated as part of a finished or unfinished product) of a type used in the
manufacture of any arrow which after its assembly-
'(i) measures 5/16 of an inch or less in diameter, and
'(ii) is not suitable for use with a bow described in paragraph (1)(A).'.
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.-The amendments made by this section shall apply to shafts first sold after the date of enactment of this Act.

Even for our Congress this seemed like a ridiculous earmark to add to this particular bill. So I did some more digging.

Turns out that there actually is a reason. The reason for this specific idiocy is that revenue bills cannot originate in the Senate.

So what they did is take a bill that had originated in the House and already passed the House very heavily, and then tacked the bailout crap to it. It's a parliamentary maneuver that those tricky congressionpeople resort to from time to time.

So in reality, it's the bailout tacked to irrelevant earmarks, not earmarks tacked to the bailout.

Whatever...I'm still against all of this nonsense, children's wooden arrows notwithstanding. But it looks like it doesn't matter what I (or anyone else) thinks - Congress will be passing this crapola shortly and we'll all have to learn to live with the consequences.

It won't be so bad right? It's not like anything bad came from that Patriot Act thing they pushed through with the speed of light by invoking the boogey man. Right? (/sarcasm)