By John Solomon
How the government's punishing of the exposure of official wrongdoing can linger for years
!["Why are we doing two years?" said Rep. Mike Pence, Indiana Republican. "Well, there is an election in two years. I get that. There are people [who] for whatever reasons want to re-debate this in two years. I get that. I just don't get how it actually gets people back to work." (Associated Press)](http://media.washtimes.com/media/image/2010/12/26/20101226-203410-pic-211090982_s101x67.jpg?3f8f75feaa16a88f2d94cdcab8953f23a5f589cd)
It's no coincidence the tax-cut deal President Obama and Republicans reached extends the Bush-era tax breaks for two years, or just in time for the next national election.
"All of these issues will be important as legislators seek re-election in two years," said Darrel M. West, vice president and director of Governance Studies at the liberal-leaning Brookings Institute. "The most controversial will be Bush's tax cuts, because the tax issue always is incendiary during election years."
