Did Someone Blink?

Or was the heat turned up?

Did Harry Reid blink, could he not stand the heat so he got out of the kitchen? I'll admit that I was wrong this time. I really thought that Reid and the Democratic Party cared so little about the opinion of the majority of voters that they would force a vote on the "Omnibus Spending Bill" (substitute budget) so that if it failed they could cause a government shut down, as was done in 1995, and blame it on the Republicans again.

The extending of the Bush era tax cuts has also been in the news lately with practically everyone saying it will mean borrowing almost a trillion dollars to cover revenue lost by extending them. Again, I think that New York and Washington crowd is unusually stupid or think the rest of us are. Except for the cut in the payroll tax, which is okay if they will stop blaming Social Security and Medicare for all the budget problems, there will be no less money collected by the IRS unless the recession worsens. In fact, there will be more money collected in Estate Taxes and if, as some predict, the extension of the Bush tax cuts strenghtens the economy and creates more jobs there will be an increase in taxes collected.

What too many people fail to see or don't want to see is that the bill that was passed, extending the Bush era tax cuts, is not a cut in taxes for the rich. The rich, whoever they are, will pay as much or more to the IRS next year as they will this year. Any extra money borrowed by our national treasury next year will be for extra spending, not from the loss of revenue caused by, what some want to call, a tax cut for the super rich. To me, this borders on President Obama's call for the redistribution of wealth. Are we ready for socialism?

A few days ago there was a discussion, by a group of people, on television centering around Wal-Mart and their negotiation with the construction unions to build stores in New York City but the argument almost always came back to praising the Waltons for providing all of us with an outlet for Chinese goods as opposed to United States made. It is my opinion, apparently mine alone, that Wal-Mart has done more to cause the exportation of Americn jobs than any other single entity. When Sam Walton was alive he bought local made merchandise whenever possible but now his super rich descendants have turned his beloved "Wal-Mart" into a waystation for China and other Asian countries. I still don't believe in boycotts but why can't we all make a New Year's resolution to buy at least a few things labeled "American Made"? Just try it - you might like it.

Have you noticed that I havent mentioned "Wildblue Satelitte" today? That's because I try not to think about it. It's still not working. Maybe next time but for now thanks for listening. Stay tuned, - William