If you are a working American, congratulations. As a result of last week's compromise between the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives, you will be getting a small tax break for two months.
If you are planning to buy a home next year, you may not feel very good about the deal. You will be paying a substantial part of the cost of it.
Conservatives of both parties in both the Senate and House had serious reservations about President Barack Obama's proposal to extend into next year a 2 percent payroll tax cut.
As matters stand, it has been approved for only two months - and that after an enormous amount of rancorous, often purely political controversy.
A major concern thoughtful Republicans and Democrats have about the tax cut is that it would, in effect, put more money in Americans for a few months while costing the already beleaguered Social Security program dearly in the long run.
But there were many other concerns about the Obama plan.
