House G.O.P. Leaders Agree to Extension of Payroll Tax Cut

December 22, 2011
House G.O.P. Leaders Agree to Extension of Payroll Tax Cut
By JENNIFER STEINHAUER and JACKIE CALMES

WASHINGTON — Bowing under intense pressure from members of their own party to end the politically damaging impasse over a payroll tax holiday, House Republican leaders agreed Thursday to accept a temporary extension of the tax cut, beating a hasty retreat from a showdown that Republicans increasingly saw as a threat to their election opportunities next year.

Under a deal reached between House and Senate leaders — which Speaker John A. Boehner was presenting to the rank and file in an evening conference call — House members would accept the two-month extension of a payroll tax holiday and unemployment benefits approved by the Senate last Saturday, while the Senate would appoint members of a House-Senate conference committee to negotiate legislation to extend both benefits through 2012.

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2011 Holiday Letter

My mother mailed several hundred photo cards (w/ encouragement but zero assistance from my father) from about 1939 (their first year in the Lyme, Connecticut farmhouse) through the late 1980s. No messages or updates, just the pic.

Here is our 2011 newsletter:

Charlie/Woody: Not a surprise to people who know me, but my focus this year was a delightful bundle of energy, our three-year-old grandson. It was a sheer joy to babysit Kahlil for two months in Oregon while Caroline checked out the job market, then another three weeks in Florida. He loves riding his tricycle really fast, meals, stories, Portland's trains and streetcars, boats and bridges, and then Florida's beaches and pools. He patiently helped us move to our new Florida apartment in July, and then I returned him to his Mom. I learned that “grandfathers know best” is not always the easiest path. We had a plan to put Kahlil in school in Portland so Caroline could work and complete college, but she felt the tug to return to Denver.

GREAT travel to Seoul, Korea and southwest Japan, and then two intoxicating Canadian cities, Vancouver and Toronto. New and veteran friends made it all a blast. We were relieved that no family or friends suffered in the massive earthquake and tsunami in northeast Japan. Equally mesmerizing in its power has been the Arab Spring uprisings, the almost-tsunami-like force to bring freedom and transparency that toppled dictators.

Dramatic change at home: after 17 years the discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ban on gays in the military was ended. Another revolution was the Occupy Wall Street protests which made known to the greater American public the gross inequality between the top 1% and the bottom 99%.

The Peace Corps turned FIFTY this year (and sadly 2011 saw the death in January of its founder Sargent Shriver). I had served as a volunteer in Ethiopia in the 60s, and HQ staff member three times (yeah, a “lifer”). In late September Takashi joined me in celebrating in DC. Such fun to see colleagues from across four decades but I needed so much more time with people to catch up. (Yes, Facebook allows that!)

Andrew: This year I moved back to Washington DC after getting my degree in Construction Management from Northern Arizona University in December 2010. I decided to get back into electrical work with the local union and finally my number got called up in July. I am now trying to get more experience in the electrical field and hope to get my electrical license. I have applied for the apprenticeship program and I just have to have an interview. There are a very limited number of openings, but if I do get one there will be better job security and better pay. In August I went on a one-week trip to El Salvador with Habitat for Humanity and helped build houses there. It was a great learning experience to see how others live outside the U.S.

Takashi: What a year! The year opened with optimistic feelings with Tunisia and Egypt. I was happy for Egyptians when Mubarak fell, while at the same time could not help thinking about the Philippines; nearly 25 years after the People Power Revolution, the country has changed little and is poorer (relative to other Asian countries) than under Marcos. I am not sure what to hope for with the Arab Spring. Then we got the “shock and awe” with the Eastern Japan earthquake and tsunami. After that, everything seemed to go downhill. Libya, Syria, and countless earthquakes and floods around the world and a full circle back to Egypt!! I’m sure 2012 Ascension wackos are busy preparing for the end.

While much of the world is on fire, I’ve led a quiet life in South Florida. Notable events in 2011 are; in July, we moved to a smaller apartment to downsize; we made a short trip to South Korea and Japan in August, and we attended Peace Corps Reunion in DC in September. Short trips to New York, San Francisco, and Toronto kept me craving urban living. Work-wise, I spend most of my time revising and updating homework questions and exam problems for courses that adjunct instructors teach, and attending countless meetings for committee work, while my research suffered. I shall put more time to my research in 2012 and clear off the inventories of papers! (How many years have I been saying this? Yeah, there is only one explanation why I’m not pumping out papers; I’m LAZY!!!)

Caroline: Happy Holidays from freezing cold, sunny Denver, Colorado! After a fun whirlwind year, which included a brief move to Portland, OR, Kahlil and I are back in Denver. We enjoyed our time in Portland: meeting some very nice people, hiking on rainy lush green trails, and of course spending lots of time with Grandpa Charlie and “Kashi.” As much as Kahlil and I loved wearing our rain gear every day, falling asleep and waking up to the sound of rain, the bright strong sun of Denver was a welcome sight.

As my darling little boy Kahlil gets older (now 3 1/2) I realize that more of these holiday updates are all about him and his amazing progress of growing into the wonderful adult he is destined to be. Our summer was spent at the pool, me trying to teach the little guy to swim, evenings at the neighborhood park getting destroyed by mosquitos while playing with friends. I love where we live as it reminds me of DC in the sense that it is a melting pot of races, ages, and ethnicities. One evening Kahlil played with a group of girls who spoke only Spanish to Kahlil and he spoke only English to them. It goes to show that friendship and communication can really transcend language. I am always amazed by how much we can learn by watching our children play.

Kahlil spends part of the year with his dad in Arizona. He has started pre-school there and has continued to charm and make friends with the adults and children alike. It gives me great pride to see what a loving, sweet, polite, and friendly child he is. Of course he has already started responding to the age-old question "What did you do today at school?" with the age-old answer "I don't know." Seriously? Come on, he is too young for that, right? When I do get answers out of him he usually says "I played with cars and friends." Kahlil will be back in Denver in a few weeks and I am very excited to see him, take him skiing for the first time, get cheeseburgers at our local joint, go sledding, and of course spend much time at the Denver Zoo. Kahlil and I wish you happiness and health and a prosperous upcoming year.

As last U.S. troops exit Iraq, they leave a troubled land behind

As last U.S. troops exit Iraq, they leave a troubled land behind
With little understanding of each other, Iraq and the U.S. collided in a long, brutal war that exacted a terrible price from both. They separate with very different understandings of what happened.
By David Zucchino, Los Angeles Times
December 17, 2011
Reporting from K Crossing, Kuwait

A U.S. military convoy sliced through the flat Iraqi desert before first light, carrying the last troops safely into Kuwait and ending America's costly and divisive war in a troubled land.

When relieved soldiers got out on the other side Sunday, shouts of "Going home!" and "It's over!" mingled with bear hugs and high-fives. One soldier hollered, 'I'm going to Disneyland!" Another, "A sweet, sweet Christmas."

The final vehicle passed a fortified Kuwaiti border police post eight years, eight months and 28 days after U.S. forces poured across the same frontier, 150,000 strong, sweating inside bulky chemical and biological protective suits, but convinced of a swift and certain victory. Once Saddam Hussein fell, the war would end and they would all soon return home.

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