From the New York Times...

WASHINGTON — Members of a House-Senate committee charged with writing a measure to extend a payroll tax reduction and provide added unemployment benefits reached a tentative agreement Tuesday evening, with both Republicans and Democrats claiming political victory in a fight with election-year implications...

Oh yeah...these are fiscally responsible actions. Let's see, we agree to permanently reduce the funding of an already badly underfunded Social Security entitlement program. Then, rather than agree to spend any money on job-creating programs, our feckless Congress agrees that it's a good idea to pay people for not working for a longer period of time.

Which party voted for this stuff? The liberal, do-gooder Democrats? Yep.

What did all those fiscally-responsible Republicans have to say about this stuff? I'll bet they stood up to be counted. We can count on the Tea Party when we need them, can't we? What, the Republicans voted for these things too? With nary a whimper of how to pay for this stuff? Just borrow more from China, I guess.

And there are those who say our problems will be solved if we could only get the Republicans in control of the entire Congress? What the heck, if these things add more to the deficit, no problem, we'll just blame Obama.

I'm left wondering when people will stop listening to the soundbites, look at what's really happening, and come to their senses.