As Krugman notes in Tax Cut Memories, even the media had figured out this was going to happen, but Zero said it wouldn’t.

Robert Reich says the Ransom Paid, but the ‘hostage’, the economy, is still going to die.

Zero wanted this to happen. He arranged it. Instead of taking care of this during the Lame Duck session when Dems were the majority in both houses of Congress, he orchestrated the tax cut extension. He wasn’t forced to do anything – this is what he wanted.

BTW, the House is going into a month-long recess without dealing with the FAA funding crisis, so the government is losing money every day they are gone, and airlines will be impacted. If I was the head of the FAA, I would start any shut-down at National in DC, then Dulles, and Baltimore. That would probably be the only way to get their attention.

The only chance Zero had for re-election was an improvement in the economy, and he just torpedoed that possibility with this action.

Position: 15.5N 62.9W [10PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: West [275°] near 17 mph [28 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 40 mph [ 65 kph].
Wind Gusts: 50 mph [ 85 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 70 miles [110 km].
Minimum central pressure: 1006 mb.

Currently about 105 miles [170 km] West of Dominica

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Dominica, Guadeloupe, Desirade, Les Saintes, Marie Galante, Puerto Rico, Vieques, Culebra and the Dominican Republic.

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for U.S. Virgin Islands, St. Kitts, Nevis, Monstserrat, Antigua, and Haiti.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

Lynn Parramore at New Deal 2.0 has come to the conclusion that The God of Tea Party Freshmen Serves the Rich, Not the Poor. Her conclusion is based on the reporting of an incident among the TP Frosh that quotes Proverbs 22:07 “The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.”

I would guess that the TP Frosh would emphasize the second part about the relation of borrowers and lenders, except for their stance on revenue increases. They must have missed Proverbs 22:16 “He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want.” It would appear that the knowledge that tax cuts for the wealthy is a bad idea, is very old.

The reality is that these are from the Old Testament, while the New Testament is clear, as expressed in Matthew 19:24 “And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” Of course, that’s just the opinion of an unemployed wanderer.