I think this is supposed to be reassuring or comforting or some other touchy-feely nonsense, but it bothers me that so many of my fellow citizens put such a premium on "cooperating" to "get things done":
Americans overwhelmingly welcomed the flurry of lawmaking between the lame-duck Congress and President Obama last month -- but they're hedging their bets on whether the duck keeps quacking.
Seventy-seven percent in this ABC News/Yahoo! News poll say it was good for Obama and Congress to agree to lame-duck legislation on tax cuts, unemployment benefits, gays in the military, the START treaty and aid to 9/11 responders. That includes majorities across the spectrum -- 91 percent of Democrats, 79 percent of independents and 62 percent of Republicans.
Valuing compromise and bipartisanship over what actually is accomplished is nothing more than tacit endorsement of bigger and costlier government. The sort of people who are OK with, for example, tax cuts for "the rich" aren't crazy about extending unemployment benefits, but 77 percent overall welcomed the "flurry of lawmaking" -- a flurry that will add about $1 trillion to the already monstrous federal debt. That says to me not to expect the support we hope for (tea party enthusiasms notwithstanding) when and if they get around to making the really tough decisions on entitlements such as Social Security and Medicare.
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I was actually surprised, not by Obama agreeing to the tax cut deal - but that the GOP agreed to it too!
The cost of extending tax cuts to those amounts over $250k amounts to $75 Billion less revenue.
To secure that $75 Billion- the "conservatives" agreed to add a Trillion to the debt.
You should not expect much help on entitlement programs Leo, it ain't gonna be there!
Look at the questions in the "poll"...
example:
"Regardless of your position on any of these issues individually, overall do you think
it
But Kevin, you fail to see the big picture:
1) The ultra-rich will buy oil futures with this money.
2) The resultant spike in gas prices will force people to spend less money at the stores.
3) Since almost everything the American consumer buys is foreign made, less spending will significantly reduce the budget deficit.