Today when I turned on my TV to the news, I wondered if we had gone back in a time warp. Ex-president Clinton was at the podium addressing the White House press corps. Had I just imagined the past 12 years? Would that be such a bad thing?
No, as the camera panned to the side I realized we are still in 2010. There stood President Obama, arms crossed with a somewhat goofy grin on his face. It speaks volumes to now he had just brought in the "big gun" to help sell his tax extension compromise.
Clearly President Obama realized he was not gaining ground with his far left base by letting the Republican Congress "hold him hostage". Honestly, it is hard to tell whose side the President is on. He has been angry at his base for not accepting his compromise. He has been angry with the Conservatives for their insistence on including the so called "rich" people in the tax extension.
I hope he is actually on the American peoples' side, but that remains to be seen. It is more likely he is on the side of his own self-preservation.
However, what really gets my goat is what Congress has done to this deal. They just couldn't leave well enough alone: Allow the tax reduction extentions to ALL taxpayers in return for adding 13 more months to unemployment benefits. To this they added billions of dollars for funding improvement to various motorsport parks and Hollywood studios, along with some new green funding for various ventures.
No matter how it is worded, you can't get around the fact these add-ons, having nothing to do with the tax extentions, will cost us money we still don't have and the American people don't want this. If you are an average taxpayer as I am, I am having to cutback on my Christmas gift list. I am not entertaining on a large scale this year. I didn't plan an expensive vacation during the past summer.
When will Congress learn they have the biggest belt that needs tightening and they will continue getting pink slips at election time if they refuse to do it? Americans are mad as hell and won't be silenced any longer.
