The crazy world of arrows and tax exemptions that got the Senate to vote yes
I'm more than happy that the US Senate finally passed a bill to steady the ship of the US economy, but I've got to share this chestnut from Reuters with you. Apart from extra insurance and tax exemptions for certain sections of the middle class, there was also plenty of pork in the new bill.
* It includes various other provisions in apparent bids to secure specific votes. Among these are an exemption for excise taxes on certain wooden arrows designed for use by children and more favorable tax treatment of income from litigation over the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska. The arrow provision would aid a company in southwestern Oregon, represented by Democrat Peter DeFazio, who voted no on Monday. The Exxon Valdez provision is aimed squarely at Rep. Don Young, an Alaska Republican who also voted against the bill on Monday.
And that, my friends, is the way you get a deal done in Washington.