Here’s why people really hate Congress: these days, it’s all shenanigans. It’s not “what can I do for you?” so much as “what can I do for my friends?” It’s all backroom deals and sneaky tricks.
And now we have another one to add to the mix. Rumor has it – and House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) has apparently confirmed – that the House might approve the payroll tax cut extensions if the bill includes a plan to speed up approval of the Keystone XL pipeline. No, don’t go back and read it a second time. You read it right the first time. The two things really have nothing to do with each other except that taxpayers want one and Congress wants the other.
I’m a tax blogger, not an energy expert, so I’m not going to speculate on whether we need to fast track the Keystone XL. I honestly can’t say whether we need an oil pipeline that would run from Canada to the Gulf Coast. Currently, the President has the power to greenlight the project and he hasn’t.
For me, the whole thing is an energy policy decision. It’s not a tax issue. The GOP is making it a tax issue by linking it to the payroll tax cut extensions in order to get it approved. I find that kind of maneuvering lazy, offensive, and cowardly. I hate it when politicians hijack bills in order to tack on controversial and generally unrelated measures – the credit card reform bill which included language to allow concealed weapons in national parks comes to mind. And yet, Congress keeps doing it.
Here’s an idea: why don’t we talk about tax measures that are perhaps actually related? Like linking spending caps or debt ceiling measures to tax bills? Apparently, that’s just crazy talk.
