Congress Getting Along? YES!!

Well, this is pretty cool. We first wrote about how Speaker Nancy Pelosi went to the White House to negotiate with the President over the need for economic stimulus in January. She came out with agreement for a solid package that met the three most basic goals for a stimulus -- timely, targeted and temporary. The bill passed the House and went to the Senate where it got dolled up with a couple of very necessary extras that will assist 20 million seniors and 250,000 disabled veterans. That was good news, but still we worried ... since the bill was a slightly stronger bill than the President had agreed to, would House Republicans balk?

The answer to that question was no. Rather, Minority Leader John Boehner and Speaker Pelosi worked together to pass the bill in the House, with the expected result that the President will sign it very soon. We call that a BIG WIN for the economy and for our nation. For more detail on the final package, see the New York Times story -- Congress Votes for a Stimulus of $168 Billion.

There's more good news, too. Today's Politico has an on-line story "First Date: Well Played" that's a quick, fun read with a serious message. Pelosi and Boehner are still talking, and that's a good start.

Let's hope that these conversations include talk about the Farm Bill. After all, the Farm Bill is crucial to the economy of rural America.