The expectation of the 2001 Congress was that government, withthe benefit of knowing how things turned out over the ten years following initial passage, would make wise decisions as to whether or not the cuts were still judicious in light of the current circumstances.
More than two years ago President Barack Obama won a celebrated political victory withpassage of the misnamed Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
Congress finally acknowledged defeat in 1862 withthepassage of the Homestead Act, which gave settlers free federal land if they cultivated it for five years.