Nice. Not.

The House of Representatives defeated a bill to extend unemployment benefits through the holidays. Merry Merry and a lump of coal.

We have a real dilemma in this country now. We have a deficit that's huge and growing, with interest rates through the roof. But we also have people in real need -- no jobs, no health care, losing their houses, even their cars. How do we strike a balance? Where is President Obama's balance on this? And how will that balance shift once the Republicans take back the House majority?

I'm scared.

Meanwhile, it really would have been the right thing to do to make sure people were taken care of through the holidays, no? How about we all forgo buying unnecessary gifts for overly-indulged friends and family and find a way to help our neighbors? The answers don't have to come from government, and they don't have to be big fixes. Helping one person at a time is good, too.

Think about it. There but for the grace of [fill in your choice of deity] go we all. Jennifer