Just at the last possible minute, the House pulled the United States back from the brink of the dreaded fiscal cliff.
During a vote late Tuesday, 172 Democrats and 85 Republicans voted for the bill, while 16 Democrats and 151 Republicans opposed it, raising taxes for the wealthiest Americans, while maintaining tax cuts for average citizens.
The bill is expected to be sent to the White House for the President's signature sometime today. The President, however, is on his way back to Hawaii to finish his family vacation, so not a lot more will happen this week.
So what does this mean to us? Well, it means unemployment will be
extended to one year, people making $400,000 or more will have a higher
tax rate (thereby making tax accountants richer), and many tax credits
for the middle class are safe.
And, of course, with the fiscal cliff comes a cookbook. A cookbook, you say? Damn, skippy! Look, if The
Hunger Games and the Real Housewives can have cookbooks, why not a
nationwide financial crisis?
In The Fiscal Cliff Cookbook, by Stephen R. Winter, you can celebrate the House's vote with some nice Socialism Soup, which go well with Tea Party Sandwiches. If you're looking for something with more substance, might we suggest the How Do We Fix It Brisket or the Budget Deal Beer Brats?
If you're a political wonk who lives to read lengthy 5,000 page bills, you might enjoy tucking into a steaming helping of Catastrophic Default Pork and Beans.
In
any event, the book is available for Kindle download for a very
budget-crisis $2.99, making it affordable for both the 99% and the
surely-grousing-over-being-taxed-more 1%.
Follow Laine Doss on Twitter @LaineDoss and Facebook.
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