Please, stop playing charades

The largest line item in the "tax cut" portion of the "stimulus legislation" is a one-year "patch" of the alternative minimum tax. At $70 billion, this piece is 18% of the entire tax cut, nearly 9% of the stimulus bill.

And let me point out--it only preserves the status quo! It keeps in place the exact same rule we had last year, when we were losing all those jobs! It's been years since the AMT went unpatched. But every year we maintain the charade that by continuing to keep the same policy in place we are delivering a tax cut! No one's taxes will go down, no one will have more money to spend. What has happened is that a previously scheduled tax increase has been suspended. How is that stimulus?

Please, who thinks like this? Am I the crazy one?

You will know that Congress is getting serious about the economy when they repeal the AMT once and for all (it doesn't even affect the truly rich any more, its nominal target). Until then, it's just business as usual.