海角大神

So the first time the Bush tax cuts were signed into law (by President George W. Bush), my beloved golden retriever 鈥淪unny鈥� (short for 鈥淪unshine鈥�) unexpectedly and very suddenly died in my backyard under her favorite tree. This was on a rainy Saturday over Memorial Day weekend, 2001鈥搈aking it a miserable, tragic weekend all around.

I鈥檓 relieved to report that at least my dog didn鈥檛 die this time around, now that President Obama has signed them into law and turned them into the 鈥淥bama tax cuts.鈥�

(video ), there鈥檚 a lot of happy talk about 鈥渂ipartisanship鈥� and 鈥渃ompromise.鈥� But it鈥檚 easy to 鈥渃ompromise鈥� when you don鈥檛 have to give up anything鈥搘hen instead you just have to stop resisting what the other side wants. As Vice President Biden explains (emphasis added):

The famed 18th century British statesman, Edmund Burke, once said, 鈥淎ll government, indeed every human benefit and enjoyment, every virtue, and every prudent act, is founded on compromise and barter.鈥� Today, we have a crystal clear example of what he meant.

This package 鈥� this package is a result of leaders from both sides coming together to act on behalf of the American people at a time they need it most鈥�

It means accepting some things we don鈥檛 like in order to get the job done for Americans as needs to be done.

But that鈥檚 not exactly the 鈥渂arter鈥濃�搊r 鈥済ive and take鈥濃�搆ind of 鈥渃ompromise.鈥� It鈥檚 the easier 鈥�take and take鈥� kind that policymakers have mastered over the past decade that has resulted in such fiscally irresponsible policymaking, where seemingly-free deficit financing becomes the easiest 鈥渂ipartisan鈥� way out of gridlock. As I鈥檝e said before, it鈥檚 not mutual sacrifice; it鈥檚 mutual grabbing.

The President seems to know this was the easy part鈥撯�漜ompromising鈥� on a tax cut package that gave him all the deficit-financed tax cuts he wanted in exchange for just accepting a few more the other side wanted, too. He said (emphasis added):

[W]e鈥檝e got to make some difficult choices ahead when it comes to tackling the deficit. In some ways, this [tax cut deal/"compromise"] was easier than some of the tougher choices we鈥檙e going to have to make next year.

Yes, a LOT easier. We can do this kind of policy making with our eyes closed.

But like I said (optimist that I am), at least my dog didn鈥檛 die.

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