The Republicans may be over-stepping the rules - will pork outweigh the fear of the deficit?
From the Concord Monitor - click here to read more...
The Senate ignored President Bush's veto threat yesterday and easily passed a $109 billion emergency spending bill for war and hurricane recovery costs that also brimmed with favors for farmers, the fishing industry and the states of Hawaii and Rhode Island.
The two-week debate that preceded yesterday's 77 to 21 final vote was marked by an election-year surge in targeted spending on behalf of constituents and special interests, despite repeated warnings by fiscal conservatives about a swollen budget deficit.
The Senate added money to rebuild a highway in Hawaii; protect riverbanks in California; upgrade a hurricane barrier in Providence, R.I.; and compensate New England shell fishermen for their losses from a red tide outbreak. The Senate also took steps to remove the risk from farming by offering compensation for virtually any scourge, including drought, flood, wildfires and pestilence.
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