Both stories from Breitbart today -

British Gov’t to raise income tax on top bracket:

The government will increase its top rate of income tax to a higher than expected 50 percent from next year, Chancellor Alistair Darling said on Wednesday as he delivered the government’s annual budget.The tax band had originally been due to rise to 45 percent from 40 percent in April 2011 as Britainseeks to claw back lost tax revenue caused by a deep recession.

The 50-percent rate will apply to any income above 150,000 pounds.

British Economy to shrink fastest since WWII:

The British economy will shrink this year at the fastest rate since 1945 and suffer sky-high public debt as a result of the global financial crisis, Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling forecast Wednesday.However, Darling, delivering his second budget to the House of Commons, predicted the economy would return to growth in late 2009 and would expand by 1.25 percent in 2010.

But he slashed the Labour government’s gross domestic product (GDP) forecast for 2009 to a contraction of 3.5 percent — the worst performance for 64 years.

Anyone see a trend developing? It looks to me that, just as Sir Winston Churchill said, “We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.” Words of wisdom from one of the last great Brits.

The Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration website recently underwent an upgrade, which might assist visitors who feel emotional distress as a direct result of Obama’s failed economic policies. It looks like this:

Christina Romer, economic adviser to President Barack Obama, said in an interview today that the fundamentals of the American economy were sound, which is… exactly what Senator John McCain said during the campaign, only to be publicly ridiculed by then-candidate Barack Obama.

The economy is fundamentally sound despite the temporary “mess” it’s in, the White House said Sunday in the kind of upbeat assessment that Barack Obama had mocked as a presidential candidate.
…
During the fall campaign, Obama relentlessly criticized his Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain, for declaring, “The fundamentals of our economy are strong.” Obama’s team painted the veteran senator as out of touch and failing to grasp the challenges facing the country.

But on Sunday, that optimistic message came from economic adviser Christina Romer. When asked during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” if the fundamentals of the economy were sound, she replied: “Of course they are sound.”