450 Economists Predicted Bush Tax Cut Debacle back in 2003

>"Passing these tax cuts will worsen the long-term budget outlook, adding to the nation’s projected chronic deficits. This fiscal deterioration will reduce the capacity of the government to finance Social Security and Medicare benefits as well as investments in schools, health, infrastructure, and basic research. Moreover, the proposed tax cuts will generate further inequalities in after-tax income."

Somewhat conflicting messages from the White House re: debt ceiling

The teabag congress must be loving this:
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Thursday the Obama administration does not believe the 14th Amendment gives the President the ability to ignore the debt ceiling, Reuters reported.
Meanwhile President Obama...
...says he won’t negotiate under any circumstances. And his top advisors say he’s adamant on the point — not just because of the current impasse but to take hostage taking over the national debt off the table for good.

My Close Encounter With A December 21, 2012 Believer

It was supposed to be a relaxing evening catching up with what’s been going on in our lives over wine and my awesome cucumber, basil and peanut Thai salad, but that isn’t the way it turned out. For a solid two hours I listened to my friend go on about the upcoming “Enlightenment” that would occur on 12/21/12. I’m sorry to admit that the word “crazy” left my mouth far too often last night, and that feelings might have been hurt, but... there simply isn’t another word for this stuff. It’s crazy. Don’t believe me? Here’s a list of what I was told last night. This is going to be a bit of a mess since the conversation jumped all over the place. But here are the key points.....

Thursday Open Thread [12.6.12]

Meanwhile, in a great moment of Congressional Humility and Interaction with the Plebs, we have this:
Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) chewed out a House staffer after catching her riding on a “members only” elevator, according to an ITK tipster who was on the scene. [...] Our spy hit the “members” button on the elevator after waiting (and waiting) for a lift on Tuesday. Elevators were slow that day because furniture was being moved around the Longworth House Office Building. When the members-only elevator arrived, our tipster and a female House staffer stepped in. The elevator went up a single floor before the doors opened and Foxx walked in with an aide. [...] Foxx said to the staffer, “This is a ‘members-only’ elevator; can you read?” She then demanded the staffer’s name before the elevator stopped after going just one more floor up. “Get out here,” Foxx supposedly commanded. Before our insider and the berated staffer exited, the politician exclaimed, “What does this sign say? It says, ‘Members of Congress only.’ ” But that wasn’t it. The innocent staffer attempted to point out that the sign next to it stated, “during votes,” which is when, our tipster says, Foxx started yelling, “Members only!” as she pointed to signs. “I’m just making sure we are hiring people who know how to read,” the lawmaker said.
What a bitch. Sorry, Pandora, Cassandra, the term applies here.