pacino wrote:more people voted for a Democrat for the House than a Republican. What's your point jh?

Democrats won. Get over it.

What's my point? 234 Republicans were elected, and the GOP controls one house of Congress while having a significant minority in the other house. They owe it to their constituents to fight for the principles they were elected to represent just as much as Obama or the Democratic Senate do.

We can't expect to get all or most of what we want, but there's no reason for Boehner to roll over or give significant public concessions before he gets any significant concessions from the Democrats. The House GOP holds a veto point just like the Senate and Obama. This isn't a parliamentary democracy where you only need to hold a majority in one house to 'win' or a country where the President holds dictatorial powers.

Anyone following this Catalonia thing? Came out of practically nowhere.

I have several Spanish students, including two in my faculty family. I will get the scuttlebutt and return with said scuttlebutt post haste.

Grotewold wrote:

drsmooth wrote:Widely recognized economic theorists like TomatoPie blandly maintain that "if you tax a behavior, you'll get less of it", while absurdly wealthy actual investors like Warren Buffett and guys running big honking businesses like Joe Echevarria Deloitte LLP are confirming publicly that in fact investors don't stop investing should you adjust tax rates - whether income or capital gains, or other - upward.

There's a dollar on the ground but I'd have to leave five pennies? Pass.

I also don't get the "job creator" parable. Folks (including some alleged 'job creators' themselves) say they won't hire and invest if the taxes go up. If you're a businessman, you hire people because you think they will help make you money. So if they tax rates go up, you'll make a little less money. Almost like the above ^

jerseyhoya wrote:

pacino wrote:more people voted for a Democrat for the House than a Republican. What's your point jh?

Democrats won. Get over it.

What's my point? 234 Republicans were elected, and the GOP controls one house of Congress while having a significant minority in the other house. They owe it to their constituents to fight for the principles they were elected to represent just as much as Obama or the Democratic Senate do.

We can't expect to get all or most of what we want, but there's no reason for Boehner to roll over or give significant public concessions before he gets any significant concessions from the Democrats. The House GOP holds a veto point just like the Senate and Obama. This isn't a parliamentary democracy where you only need to hold a majority in one house to 'win' or a country where the President holds dictatorial powers.

the timing is much trickier for team Bonehead on this. Boehner doesn't want to pop the fiscal pimple, because a) the optics of being the tribe that "caused" taxes to go up don't work well for him - and you know the blame will be laid on the house, and b) his less-radical-2013 caucus will squeal like stuck pigs and be willing to concede far more than the outbound members of his caucus have any reason to BEFORE pimple-popping takes place.

Boehner meanwhile has no need to take another shot in the face on the teapotty loons' behalf by being intransigent in 2012. So he'll be trying to cave sometime before 1/1/13, and probably before christmas. Cole's 'dovish' pronouncements were most likely made to give Boehner some cover, & maneuvering room within the caucus. It's just a matter of how the Speaker can crumple in the next 3-4 weeks with the fewest people looking on.

jerseyhoya wrote:Julia's mother - Why a single mom is better off making $29,000 than $69,000

Better off probably isn't the right description entirely because the person earning $40,000 more would have more after tax income to spend as she wished, but most of it would probably go to the stuff the gov't provides the person making considerably less. Social welfare benefits with hard cut points sure do create some bizarre incentive structures though.

you ever look at a private employer's sales comp design? Many make welfare programs look like models of applied classical economics

gonna be tough to resolve the whole fiscal pimple thing what with national security priorities like the Susan Rice impeachment hearings to organize

if yglesias has this right, I'm inclined to go along with his suggestion, even if it means living in a future that includes a still-viable grover norquist

The White House's opening offer appears to be less palatable than sequestration/going back to the Clinton tax rates. I don't understand what they're playing at. If the White House is serious with that framework, hopefully Boehner isn't just looking to save face and is willing to jump. Because if he isn't he's gonna lose his role as speaker anyway.

First talk I've seen of extending the payroll tax cuts into 2013. My bet is a status-quo stopgap agreement while the standoff is attempted to be resolved.

that you dont understand what theyre doing must mean it's pretty good.

Damn government. They told me I would get my new passport in 4-6 weeks, and I received it in less than 3 weeks. Why can't they do anything right?

well, democracy in egypt was fun while it lasted

not really

TenuredVulture wrote:Damn government. They told me I would get my new passport in 4-6 weeks, and I received it in less than 3 weeks. Why can't they do anything right?

Got mine in about a week and a half, if I recall. I was a little worried because if it took the full six weeks I would have gotten it the day before I travel.

jerseyhoya wrote:[url=http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/30/us/politics/fiscal-talks-in-congress-seem-to-reach-impasse.html?hp&_r=0]I don't understand what they're playing at.

why do you make this so hard? Obama won; Boehner is fucked; the administration doesn't have to give ground, Boehner/his caucus does; if Boehner/his caucus doesn't, he and his caucus are screwed in the public eye. Individually, house members may be fine putting up resistance; collectively, they are fucked.

Schoolchildren can figure this kind of thing out.

That it's a difficult situation for Boehner is TOUGH TITTIES for Boehner.

Good BS Report podcast today with Nate Silver

I can't imagine the Democrats will agree to any deal before the new year, except for the bill that passed the Senate to extend the tax cuts for income under $250,000.

If no deal is agreed upon, all tax cuts will expire and the Republicans will be blamed for it. The middle class tax cuts should not be held hostage for the unnecessary tax cuts for the rich.

Nancy doing Boehner a solid by releasing this petition on a sleepy Friday afternoon