Did Your Holiday Vacation Start on December 12? - No

The House of Representatives Did

The people with great government jobs, jobs with a nice six figure salary and fantastic benefits, namely the members of Congress are in the process of passing a budget bill that does not renew extended unemployment benefits.  But maybe that’s because they don’t work very hard, don’t value work, and take off weeks early for the holiday vacation.

The House passed the bill just before adjourning for the year, trying to wrap up a hodgepodge of year-end issues. It passed a one-month extension of farm programs, to allow more time for lawmakers to conclude House-Senate negotiations on a broader rewrite of farm policy. The budget bill also included a temporary fix to another unrelated problem—a three-month extension of current Medicare doctor payments, which were slated to be cut by more than 20% at year's end.

Yes, the House is adjourning on December 12 for a holiday that takes place on December 25.  Maybe they are so afraid of being soft on Christmas that the feel they need to take two extra weeks to go around and wish everybody a Merry Christmas, even those who don’t celebrate the holiday.  (What, it is news to conservatives in Congress that there are people who don’t celebrate Christmas?  Yes it is.)