Yesterday (Wednesday), the Senate passed a $520 billion spending bill to keep the government's doors open. The day before, the House had passed the same bill. Normally, that would be a ho-hum, take-note-of-it-and-promptly-forget-it issue.

Unfortunately, that is not the case with this bill. Titularly because time was running out before the government would be unable to pay its own employees (including, I might add, the Congressmen themselves), it was thrown up in front of Congress for a vote without amendments. Even then, if the purpose of the bill were solely to keep the government able to function, I wouldn't have a problem with it.

Again unfortunately, that isn't all that was included. Local pork initiatives apparently intended to benefit incumbents so weigh down the bill that some Congressmen had these reactions (this is from both sides of the aisle, folks): Sen. John Ashcroft (R-MO): "It reeks." Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-WV): called it a "monstrosity." Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA): "...no one knows what's in this stupid thing."

Yet the bill was passed. No one offered an alternative bill which would have cut out all that pork, even at the expense of the government having to shut its doors for a day or two (heaven forbid that Congressmen should do their duty without being paid for it in advance). So there are going to be a lot of fat and happy incumbents come Nov. 3, because they 'got' funding for their localities when in reality the most they could have done (aside from a little armtwisting to get their funding desires fulfilled) was vote for the bill. And I'd be willing to bet, without having read its text, that more Democrats will benefit from it than Republicans.

Even Clinton (I refuse to ever call that man President again) signed the bill without having read it in its entirety. Is there anyone else out there that's bothered by that? I guess all he needed to know was that it'd benefit incumbents and help maintain the minority he'll need to get off scot-free from his impeachment trial.

And, finally, one more knock against Clinton. Remember that promise he made that the surplus that he's been crowing about since the second he found out about it (and claiming undeserved credit for it, of course) would not be sucked back into the governmental budget vortex? Well, $21 billion of that estimated $70 billion surplus went to 'emergency funding'. For what? When Al Gore runs up too many charges making his illegal fundraising calls? Or for funding another coffee klatsch series to keep that money rolling into the DNC coffers (also known as the Clinton Defense Fund)? Perhaps Bill needs another case of Cubans... I'm sure a lot of senior citizens (not to mention other, younger voters who realize that there may not be a Social Security by the time they reach age 65) sat up and took notice of that; at least, I hope so.

And now, it's time to ask that age-old question: just how much of this kind of crap is the American public willing to take? Judging by their reaction to Slick Willie's peccadillos, I'm sorry to say it looks like it'll be a full load.

- The Watcher (Let's pass a truth-in-politics law. Any politician who lies to the public, any public, should be removed from office and run out of whatever town they're in on a rail. I know, there wouldn't be any politicians anymore. That's the whole point. Then maybe some qualified and idealistic people would be able to fill the hot-air vacuum with some real action.)