section 503 of the economic stabilization bill

Just received this email from a friend. It was mailed to a list of friends, and he's given me permission to post it here.

Many people asked why I left government service when I had just been selected for promotion. Quite frankly, I no longer had any confidence in my government; I trusted the guy to my left and right, but I wouldn't give a nickel for my political masters or the governmental process that ruled me. For example: The House version of the Economic Stabilization act was around 150 pages and didn't get any traction. There was not much fluff there; and it failed.

I just read the Senate version (which is gaining significant traction).Let me tell you how it gained traction. It's now 451 pages long and contains such gems as Section 503 Exemption from Excise Tax for Certain Wooden Arrows Designed for Use by Children.

Section 503 states it "shall not apply to any shaft consisting of all natural wood with no laminations or artificial means of enhancing the spine of such shaft" and applies only to shafts that "measures 5/16 of an inch or less in diameter".

In my prior life this is what we would call a "zip code provision". If you knew enough about the toy arrow industry, you could pin point the zip code of the beneficiary of this lobbying effort (obviously a company producing laminated arrows that can't compete with the Chinese without getting his brother-in-law congressman to add section 503 to some legislation). What's worse is that there are scores of pages of gems like that in the "Economic Stabilization Act of 2008". That's what's going to make this version get approved and that's what's wrong with our political system.

Yours truly,
[The BHOTW]

Update: Salon has also posted on the pork »