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- The right wing is screaming about the $3.8 trillion tax hike coming around the corner, the sun rose in the east this morning, etc. In addition to showing Republicans have no interest in reducing the deficit, this also shows the danger of Democrats buying into tax-cut rhetoric. It appears that Congress is set to let the Bush tax cuts expire for only the wealthy, which is fine for now, but eventually taxes are going to have to go up on the middle class. That's going to be a hard sell given Obama's campaign promise of giving a tax cut to everyone making under $250k.
- Suffice to say the supposed nostalgia for the Bush years, as described by "Big Bad" John Cornyn, is contained to the right wing; it's the same 25 percent who looked back at the end of Bush's second term and nodded approvingly, "heckuva job." Brendan Nyhan has the data dispelling this nonsense. I'll add that this is yet another example of the conservative movement believing that the public at large simply reflects the GOP base.
- Today's pick from "Tales from our Vibrant Economy" is this heartwarming story out of Spiritwood, North Dakota, where the local powers that be have decided that asphalt is too luxurious for these austere times and have instead torn up country roads and replaced them with gravel. Perhaps this will inspire Congress to bring to the floor the Dust Bowl Re-Creation Act of 2010.
- Weekend Remainders: Silly economists don't realize we can only spend money on top income bracket tax cuts and a gargantuan national-security edifice; Fox News personalities agree that Montana schools are trying to indoctrinate children, make them gay; and cap-and-trade is most likely dead.
--Mori Dinauer
