All too often political issues are being labeled an emergencies or crises.  By convincing us that there is some imminent threat, in need of immediate action, policies and actions are taken that would never be accepted as proper exercises of authority in the handling of normal matters.  It is time we start questioning whether policymakers intentionally convert everyday problems into emergencies in order to take more power than they are given constitutionally or under other laws, power that they rarely, if ever, give back.