Let’s start by looking at the facts …
The political process at local, state and federal levels has become thoroughly corrupted by the process which demands politicians start running for the next election the day they are sworn into office.
Due to the tremendous need for large sums of campaign funding, efficiency demands that the politicians go to the special interest who are more than willing to offer campaign funding and voter support in a quid-pro-quo horse-trade for the politician’s support of their position, project or profit-making enterprise.
That the term “fiscal cliff” is a shorthand metaphor for a destructive downward plunge, possibly fatal, if action is not taken quickly. Unfortunately, the both the term and the concept is an artificial public relations construct designed to make the people think there is an urgent reason for the government to take unpopular or precipitous action. Sort of a political shield against being tarred and feathered by the people for doing something that is both costly and painful. Hence, we know that there is no fiscal cliff – and the situation is a “man-made disaster” to promote a political ideology.
That the greatest problem we now face is that our fiscal house is not in order. One, almost every government accounting system is designed to be overly complex lest the people see what is being spent on their behalf and who is getting the money. Within this system, we know there is waste, fraud and abuse – but the system prevents the assigning of blame to individuals, departments or agencies except in the most egregious of circumstances.
We are borrowing money from foreign countries – actually selling them debt instruments such as treasury bonds – and that the cashflow to pay the interest on these debts is becoming a crushing burden.
We know that some of America’s major banks were technically insolvent due to the self-inflicted mortgage meltdown and financial crisis due to government and industry actions. And that the Federal Reserve is manipulating the nation’s finances in order to recapitalize these financial institutions in a manner which is decimating the interest rate yields on senior citizen retirement accounts and on every investor and saver in America.
We know that politicians in both parties have known for at least eighteen months that the day when Congressional spending authority is required – and yet they did nothing. We know that politicians in both parties are fighting for control over billions of dollars and the welfare of the average American citizen is the last thing on their mind.
We know that the President of the United States, Barack Obama, as well as most of the politicians have shamefully told bald-faced lies to the American people and cannot be trusted to say what they mean and mean what they say.
And the metaphor of a fiscal cliff …
Assuming that there is such a thing as a fiscal cliff, providing billions of dollars in taxes and borrowings to social projects just cushions the fall by providing a proverbial mattress to insure a safe landing. However, the money that is taken out of the system in taxes or is borrowed from foreign sources increases the height of the fiscal cliff for those who follow us. Thus increasing future danger while telling people that the politicians have saved them from this artificial man-made disaster.
Bottom line …
The real danger to America is a bloated government bureaucracy with their public employee unions and the special interests sucking money out of the public’s pocket. Unless we reduce the size of government, curtail pension benefits to a privileged public class of workers and start accurately and honestly accounting for public money that is spent by politicians – the system will remain a cesspool of corruption, waste, fraud and abuse.
Compromise, in the current political meaning, means staging an artificial fight over an artificial man-made disaster to provide cover for both political parties which insulates them from being lynched by the American people when they are found to be horse-thieves and cattle rustlers. It’s all Kabuki theatre presented by self-interested politicians who are playing the American people for suckers.
-- steve
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