Tick-Tock The Clock Runs Down On the Budget

++President Obama used his weekly address to class for a bipartisan bill for emergency unemployment benefits. The sad point is that Eric Cantor said it wasn't on the agenda and we will have to go through the Senate procedures again. Senate Democrats are trying to figure out a way to use the Farm Bill to get House Republicans to address the issue. But in fact they don't care.

++Ben Bernacke gave his farewell address at the Fed yesterday and said what many other economists have been saying forever. The recovery would have been quicker and more robust if Washington had not adopted a severe austerity program. He pointed to the loss of 600,000 federal jobs, when other recoveries usually added about 1 million federal jobs. This doesn't make sense said Bernacke when interest rates are close to zero.

++There is a flurry of comments about AEI, Washington's remaining real conservative think tank,advocating job creation and infrastructure. The punditry is saying that is good news for the GOP to finally emphasize jobs. But the punditry forgets who really is in charge of the GOP. And by the time,they get around to advocate infrastructure spending, which President Obama has done since the beginning of his first term,the borrowing rates will increase.

++Boeing came to an agreement with its unions and will stay in Seattle.

++The Federal District Court ruled that drug-testing for welfare is unconstitutional in Florida. Rachel Maddow had an excellent takedown on this story and pointed the finger at the Koch Brothers, who fund think-tanks that circulate the idea. They, of course, objected to her reporting and she didn't back down.

++Yes, there is snow in Washington D.C. and freezing weather. But contrary to Donald Trump winter doesn't mean there is no climate change. But FOX news is complaining that the US spends billions on climate change and that it is a waste of tax-payer money. Drexel University came out with a study that showed that anti-climate change funding has gone dark and that there is a network of climate deniers spending about $1.5 billion a year against the notion the climate is changing.

++We only have about two weeks until the appropriations for the new budget must be done. Stay tuned.