Strings attached

The Republican-led Congress attached unprecedented strings to legislation that would provide $750 million in federal loans for hurricane-damaged cities. For the first time in our history, they are "explicitly forbidding the federal government from forgiving loans if state or municipal governments fail to repay them."

In contrast, House GOP leaders approved legislation that would give tax breaks to energy companies to encourage refinery construction and expansion. Do the profit-rich energy companies have to pay back their tax breaks?

Don't hold your breath.