"We will not Christmas tree this bill," Senator Charles Schumer said of the bailout bill that passed through the Senate yesterday (the expression "Christmas tree" refers to the practice of decorating a bill with unrelated goodies and handouts for the sole purpose of winning votes). "The times are too urgent. It's going to have to wait."

Yet buried in the bill is are tons of unusual add-ons, like the provision to ban the 39 cent excise tax on toy bow and arrows. (This would save an Oregon company about $200,000.) Click here for more outrageous add-ons that have nothing to do with bailing out Wall Street ... but everything to do with helping the political big-wigs win votes.

Outrageous!