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Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, was crowing to reporters back home that the compromise would include an expensive ornament — the use of tax credits to extend subsidies for ethanol and biodiesel fuels, neither of which has anything to do with income tax rates for individuals. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid also reportedly dangled these subsidies, which encourage corn farmers to grow more corn, to ensure the vote of Sen. Tom Harkin, Grassley’s Democratic colleague from Iowa.

The list of ornaments being hung on the tax-cut Christmas tree grew steadily throughout the week.

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Yes, the anger is boiling over. But to call this display of outrage puerile is an understatement. Everyone but the Democrats can see how out of step they are with public opinion.

As long as they were in control of Congress and the White House, Democrats felt no need to compromise. But after four years of Democratic failure, voters on Nov. 2 awarded the GOP a record 63 seats for control of the House and took away the Democrats’ veto-proof majority in the Senate, where their edge will be a slim three seats.

According to a story in The Wall Street Journal, Dutch researchers have called into question data that prompted the widespread reports that Wi-Fi signals were to blame for a jump in poor-health indicators among urban trees in the Netherlands and perhaps elsewhere.

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