My column today looks at the phantom Porkulus II/Jobs Bill. I say “phantom” because there is no bill text I can actually point you to — it's the same business-as-usual we've been subjected to since Porkulus I. GOP Senate Minority Leader Mitch ... Instead of returning the money to reduce the debt as stipulated in the law, President Obama is also pushing to siphon $33 billion from the ever-morphing TARP bank bailout program to fund small business lending initiatives. ...

Billionaire Warren Buffett agreed with the former Treasury secretary Tuesday that the bank bailout will eventually be profitable for the nation. The two men spoke at the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce's annual meeting. .... A strange thing happened in Olympia today. This morning a bill was introduced in the Senate, SB 6853, which has no text. The full bill is reproduced below. The bill is scheduled for a public hearing in the Ways and Means Committee this afternoon. ...