I don’t know about you but if I never had to hear the words/phrase “fiscal cliff” again I would volunteer to pay additional taxes. Its gotten that ridiculous that you cannot pick up a newspaper, read a story online or turn on the TV without hearing fiscal cliff this and fiscal cliff that.
Honestly, its hard not to be bitter about the way lawmakers have behaved on behalf of their citizens. Republican and Democrat leaders alike have suddenly become close chums, vowing to do whatever is necessary to help the US avoid falling off the fiscal cliff. Where were these same politicians days, weeks and months ago when everyone needed them to step up to the plate to watch out for the good of our country? I know where they were; collectively spending billions of dollars trying to get reelected
The site of the political leaders from the House and Senate standing arm in arm this past Friday to let the world know they were finally going to work out a deal was hard to stomach. If nothing else, it pointed out how self serving those same individuals as well as their political parties are, putting themselves ahead of those they were elected to serve. In the meantime, the financial markets have been held hostage, with investors and traders wondering exactly what might come next.
All we have heard about for days on end is how the US economy will be ruined unless lawmakers come up with a sensible plan. The words/phrase “fiscal cliff” have now taken on chalk board quality; you know, the feeling you get when you hear nails scratching on a chalk board. Its hard to take.
Yet, nothing that is being discussed now is new. The issues being bantered about have existed for a very long time. But, instead of working in unison for the good of the country, politicians chose to put fear into the hearts of voters, focusing first on getting reelected and suddenly choosing to deal with the issues once their own positions were secured.
If you believe even half of what is being said (I don’t) the US economy is heading towards disaster. Some say a recession is inevitable, others say entitlement programs are in jeopardy and others say increasing taxes on the wealthy will stifle business growth and jobs. If any or all of these issues were true then the same lawmakers who are now saying they are ready to hammer out a compromise should have dealt with these issues a long time ago, not once the elections were over. Instead, the market is left to wonder day in and day out exactly the economy might be headed without some type of deal, and soon.
I’m certain I sound naive here; what politician wouldn’t put their job first ahead of those they serve? But, when you consider what is at stake here, wouldn’t it be refreshing for once to see the lives of millions of individuals take priority over a small handful of egotistical “leaders?”
Even now, you can bet that when everything is said and done, most of us will be unhappy with the outcome. There’s just no getting around the fact that some tough decisions need to be made and everyone will need to chip in to get things back on track. In the meantime, instead of having to be reminded every day that we’re headed toward fiscal disaster, I for one want to see lawmakers stop the nonsense and actually get something done. It won’t do me any good to linger on the past because that’s over and done with. But, we should all look at what has transpired here, wake up and realize how all of us are being manipulated and let our legislators and representatives know that if they don’t get their collective act together THEY just might be the ones pushed over the fiscal cliff!
John – well said. However I would not volunteer to pay more in taxes – they waste enough of our money already. BTW – many of savers in investors are already paying extra through buying treasuries at so low rates!