Jockeying for Position

The stimulus package is in the Senate this week and the horse trading is in full swing.

A $15,000 tax credit for all home buyers (up from $7,500 for fist time buyers only) is front and center. The idea that every American should be able to own a home was a factor in getting us into this mess, and it looks as though it's not dying any time soon.

Some of the pork is being pulled out, and some justified outrage is surfacing:

"This bill needs to be cut down," Republican Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said on the Senate floor. He cited $524 million for a State Department program that he said envisions creating 388 jobs. "That comes to $1.35 million per job," he added.