The Bush administration has recently submitted an $82 billion emergency supplemental budget request to the congress. This must be an emergency, since the $82 billion includes:

A request for $658 million to build what would be the largest embassy in the world: a fortress in Baghdad's Green Zone that would replace the former palace complex that U.S. officials are using;

Money for public opinion research for the new Ukrainian government, seven provincial Afghan hospitals and Palestinian community centers; and

Spending to start a law school in Afghanistan, smooth the issuance of Ukraine's driver's licenses and passports and build water treatment facilities in Jordan.

Source: Washington Post

And these items are under the category of "emergency" for what reason? Oh yeah, because there would be no way these things would get through the normal budget process, the one outlined in the constitution, and especially during the current budget crisis which has been propagated by the dot-com bust, corporate crimes, a large tax-cut for the wealthy, the terrorist attacks of nine-eleven, the war in Afghanistan, another tax-cut for the wealthy, the war in Iraq, another tax-cut for the wealthy, and a sluggish bear market. And, um, yes, what was it that you would like to do regarding Social Security again? Can we at least debate the issue?

Labels: bush, iraq