OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK – AT 10:22 P.M. ET:  Remember something called "civics"?  They taught us how government worked.  I think the "progressives" in the schools phased that out in favor of "alternative cultural narratives."  Maybe we should teach civics again so we can avoid this mess.  From Fox:

It had to happen. Democrats are in disarray over what to do about the expiring Bush-era tax cuts, and there have been no votes on any legislation since Tuesday morning, with the majority meeting behind closed doors nearly daily for the past week trying to chart a path forward. Republicans have dug in and decided to filibuster anything that isn't related to tax cuts and a stopgap spending measure, called a continuing resolution (CR), to keep the government operating. And the frustrations boiled over onto the Senate floor in a display of political theater on Wednesday.

Senate Democrats were visibly furious when all 42 of their GOP colleagues sent a letter to Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., essentially promising to block any measure that comes before tax cuts and a CR. One after another, Democrats in the majority sought to bring up a number of other measures, including an extension of unemployment insurance benefits which expired Tuesday on two million Americans, an energy measure, and various tax-related provisions.

"What, are we going to take our football and go home, just because they say they don't want to play ball?" asked Sen Claire McCaskill, D-Mo, as she departed an hours-long Democratic meeting in which the letter was discussed, adding, "Quit giving us ultimatums."

Republicans stood firm against any attempt to call up legislation not related to the Bush tax cuts, and at one point, Sen. John Barrasso, frustrated, actually read the GOP letter word for word for his Democratic colleagues, as Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-Ny, tried repeatedly to get the Wyoming Republican to object to an extension of tax rates for anyone making less than $1 million.

COMMENT:  It might be nice to remind our liberal friends that there was something called an election.  It's one of those quaint practices they do in democracies.  And elections have consequences.  And they're being felt now.

Wait 'til January, when the new troops arrive.  Our friends might require psychological intervention.

December 1, 2010