I have to chuckle at Ron Klain’s story about the subtle genius of the Obama Administration with respect to the payroll tax cut. Klain credits Timothy Geithner (and Gene Sperling, then an advisor to Geithner) with coming up with a strategy that turned a one-year payroll tax cut into what looks to be a two-year one. But remedy for using Making Work Pay to get more money to workers quicker is to double Making Work Pay. It was a $400 benefit; just make it an $800 benefit. If you like, raise the cap.

Two prominent booksellers are hawking a demeaning anti-LGBT calendar that also makes a joke about people with aids. You can let the booksellers know how you feel about this.

In 2010, over 350 members of the House agreed to a bill designed to punish China for their currency manipulation. In 2011, 68 members of the Senate agreed to a similar bill. But in a year-end report to Congress, the Treasury Department voiced their disagreement, refusing to label China a currency manipulator, instead opting for softer language around their failing to “reform” currency operations.

In hours, the city will move in to evict Occupy Bellingham in Bellingham, Washington. The City of Bellingham’s Parks and Recreation Department handed the camp an eviction notice that says they must be gone by 9 am on Wednesday, December 28.

A building and loan association, like the Bailey Brothers’ in It’s a Wonderful Life, uses the savings of its members to provide mortgages to the depositors. Members essentially pool their money to give each other the opportunity to buy cars and homes. But Mr. Potter scoffs at such “charity.” The GOP does the same with Social Security, Medicare and other programs that pool the nation’s wealth to help the middle class.

I wrote previously about Ron Paul’s newsletters, and I still think there’s reason to condemn not only the writings but the worldview they espouse, one which Paul embraces even as he disavows some of the finer points of the newsletters. But I think there’s more to say about this incident and what it means about American politics.

News Roundup from Tuesday, December 27, 2011. European austerity takes its toll; the Sadrists want elections; another oil embargo? Consumer confidence is up, but housing prices down; Syria and Iowa; and much more.

A variety of links to articles/interviews on current topics that may, or may not, be of interest.

The man who never met a Republican talking-point he didn’t adopt, from unemployment assistance to killing the public option is retiring. Democrats on Tuesday lamented Sen. Ben Nelson’s decision to retire rather than seek a third term in Nebraska, fearing the move sets up Republicans for an easy and crucial victory in their effort to [...]

The Police – Spirits in The Material World