"The Republican-controlled House is expected to vote as early as today to extend three tax cuts that are due to expire at the end of this year — an increase in the tax credit for families with children, an expansion in the number of taxpayers in the lowest 10% tax bracket, and tax relief for married couples."
There is some dispute as to how equitable this tax package is, but the ultimate problem is that it continues the fiscal irresponsibility endemic to those now in power. Those who challenge such cuts, and few probably will do so across the board, are said to "effectively be placing a tax increase on millions of working families next year" etc. Who pays the bill, though? Ah well. Dean tried to discuss this, but we see how far he got.
In addition to liking these folks, I respect their creed. Conservatism teaches us useful things: an appreciation of tradition, family and religion; a wariness of great big plans to improve the world; and an attentiveness to the unintended consequences of well-intended actions.
- E.J. Dionne, buttering them up before stabbing them in the throat
This amuses me. The implication tends to be that liberals do not appreciate these things. They clearly do, they just do so differently. For instance, liberals respect more than a narrow definition of "family and religion" and find some neocon programs that allegedly do so are actually often counterproductive. Finally, if "tradition" means following various constitutional norms and ways of doing things, yet again, neocons often do not really come off looking too well.
The House will propose moving cybersecurity offices from the Department of Homeland Security to the White House as part of the intelligence reorganization, according to draft legislation obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press. The bill, expected to be introduced Thursday, would place cybersecurity into the White House budget office.
The change reflects frustration among some Republican lawmakers about what they view as a lack of attention paid to cybersecurity by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
This story caught my interest because I recalled that Richard Clarke, once he determined no one in the Bush Administration really wanted to pay attention to his concerns about Al Qaeda, decided to focus on cyberterrorism. Certain sorts, including I believe Christopher Hitchens, ridiculed his concern, which now appears not to be too trivial. The sanctity of electronic voting seems to be part of this general concern as well.
Sibel Edmonds is still fighting as well. Go girlfriend!