It seems, as the author writes, that there will be no solution to the “Fiscal Cliff” crisis by the end of today, and that means massive tax increases for everyone; the end of unemployment compensation for two million people; and the possible doubling of milk and dairy prices. The likelihood of a recession returning, just as the economy was starting to improve, is a very real possibility!.
The answer SHOULD be that Congress must suffer too, if this is to happen! Their recklessness and irresponsibility is outrageous to the extreme, and no promise of improvement is likely anytime soon. They are undermining the respect for their institution, and turning the American people into a total disgust for their government’s inability to work for the public interest!
So there should be a public demand that ALL members of Congress forfeit their paychecks of about $175,000 per year per member, and ALL their medical benefits UNTIL they show responsibility and maturity to resolve this issue of the “Fiscal Cliff”! And there should be no back pay when the solution is finally reached!
Of course, in reality, no such situation can be forced, sadly, and of course, many members do not live on their salaries anyway, and are independently wealthy, but it is time through marches and demonstrations on Washington, DC, and across the country, that the people make it clear that they will not allow the anti government Tea Party Movement to “blackmail” the nation. It is time for Speaker John Boehner to assert his authority over the reckless members of his caucus, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to stop the maneuvering that prevents action in the Senate!
The Democrats are not totally innocent, either, by any means, but it is the GOP which has caused this crisis, since the Democrats and President Obama won the elections in November, and are entitled now to make policy for the nation, without anarchistic, terrorist like actions by the Tea Party Movement and its extreme right wing membership in Congress and across the country!
We can only hope for a miracle as we go into 2013!
Meanwhile, I wish all my readers a very Happy New Year, and hope for statesmanship and rationality in the New Year!
Tomorrow will, happily, be a day of celebration historically, and if one is not sure what this author is referring to, it will be answered tomorrow–a day in history that is one of the greatest moments in American history! See you in 2013!