The Senate left an extra present under your tree ...

... and it really didn't attract much notice with all the fanfare surrounding the vote on Cannibal Care, which passed and is now on its way to conference to tussle out the differences between the House and Senate versions.

Your second gift? The Senate voted to raise the "debt ceiling," i.e. to give itself the authority to borrow another $290 billion and forward the repayment demands to you. That's on top of the $12.x trillion in previously existing debt they're already trying to stick you with. Here's a letter I sent to "my" congresscritters after the House passed the measure last week (it's also available, with surrounding commentary, in my C4SS column for December 19th):

Dear Senator McCaskill,

I notice that the US House yesterday approved a $290 billion increase in the government’s "debt ceiling,” raising it from $12.1 trillion to $12.4 trillion.

Presumably the Senate will take up similar legislation in the near future.

I am not writing to yourself, Senator Bond and Representative Clay in order to urge any particular vote or action on the matter, but rather just to inform you that I’m not responsible for, nor do I intend to pay off, your debts.

I’ll be publishing this letter in one or more public spaces so that your creditors will be aware of this fact. If they’re going to loan money to the three of you and your 532 colleagues in the House and Senate, they may want to run credit checks first. Just so long as we’re crystal clear on the fact that I won’t be co-signing for you, the rest is between you and them.

Best regards,
Thomas L. Knapp