Today the House pushed through a $56 billion tax reconciliation bill, culminating what has been a month of illogical and hypocritical voting. This $56 billion tax reconciliation bill comes on the heels of a nearly $50 billion budget reconciliation bill, which ruthlessly slashed spending on everything from the food stamp program to Medicaid. It is no wonder Rep. David Obey (D-WI) said that House actions "makes Mr. Scrooge look like Mother Teresa." The bill passed 234-197; three Republicans voted against the bill and nine Democrats voted for it. Those Democrats were Reps.

USA Today is reporting on criticisms of Bush administration policy at the Nobel Prize events: Two American Nobel Prize winners said Thursday they are worried about President Bush's attitude toward science and accused his administration of ignoring important research findings.

The House passed a number of tax bills yesterday. In total, they voted to trim $94.5 billion from federal revenue over five years. As Concord Coalition executive director Robert Bixby aptly put it in this Washington Post article, "I don't think it makes any sense to go through all the difficulty they just went through with the budget-cutting bill, then give it all back in tax cuts. If they want to cut taxes, fine, but they are going to have to cut spending by at least that much to help the deficit, and clearly they are not willing to do that. They have to start looking reality in the face."