Official Washington was in celebration mode on New Years Day after kind of averting a completely unnecessary crisis that was entirely of its own creation. This deal proves that if we all procrastinate long and hard enough, we can semi-solve any self-inflicted problem at the very last minute in a way that satisfies no one, said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky). But even as Sen. McConnell basked in self-congratulation, he warned Congress against the complacency that could come with having sort of fixed its own completely avoidable mess. This is a new year, and much work remains to be done, he said. Its up to us to concoct entirely new optional disasters that we will have to undo at some later date in a more or less half-assed way. In a related story, an arsonist received an award for putting out his own fire. 