I should start a drinking game for every time I hear the phrase "going over the fiscal cliff" in the national media. I would find myself more inebriated than I did at the holiday party and that's saying something. Actually, if that were the case, I'd probably find myself dead as I don't think I could be any more drunk than I was at the holiday party - just ask my boyfriend's Jack Spade bag!
Anyway, I know that I am breaking another self imposed blog rule. I try to stay clear of politics due to the divisiveness it causes and because there usually folks find nothing humorous about the dysfunction of our government (I personally find it to be QUITE entertaining), but this fiscal cliff nonsense is just too good to pass up. I also know that the entire point of this blog is for my "notes on the every day insanity of life." Usually that consists of me writing about embarrassing myself at the holiday party with co-workers, witnessing a shake down of the unsuspecting public by a homeless criminal, or my Grandmother's propensity to wash dishes in her panties. With that being said, this fiscal cliff thing still technically fits into the definition of every day insanity - so I have decided it deserves a post.
So everyone in Washington, D.C. has worked themselves up into a lather about this fiscal cliff. So to make sure I understand this correctly - Congress and The White House are having heart palpitations over a fiscal cliff that Congress created over a year ago and that the President signed into law in the hope that when we arrived here in 2012, it would force them to negotiate on the big drivers of our deficit. Right? That's what's happened or am I missing something? Our politicians are acting like Armageddon will arrive in 2013 due to something that they themselves created. If that's not the definition of insanity, I don't know what is.
I will not get into who I believe is more at fault for this nonsense, other then to say they all share blame and should all find themselves unemployed, which of course will not happen. For all the hysteria, whatever happens when we fly off the cliff, Americans will get through this as well. I believe the American public has pretty much become used to their government shoving rods up their ass with no lube. I suppose we will bend over and take this as well. Actually, sadly, some Americans probably have huge assholes because they don't even seem to notice or feel it when Uncle Sam comes tickling their backdoor with a big un-lubed rod - but thats another post. I will not get on my soapbox about apathetic Americans when it comes to politics or folks who don't take notice.
A good friend of mine always told me that all politics could be explained by talking about everyday things - like toys and candy. If folks followed that logic it also might help more people remain interested in the process. I would go on and on rambling my opinion on these subjects, but she would always simply say - simplify it. So, I am going to do that with this issue - maybe people will find this more interesting, so here it goes. Simply put, whatever your opinion on the fiscal cliff, someone will need to pay more or someone will have their candies taken away. Think of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, etc as candies. I prefer Starbursts myself. Someone, and that would be the American people, will need to pay more for their Starbursts. Of course, who pays and how much is the question. But to be clear, Americans of ALL colors and stripes like their candy. Seniors especially like their candies. One could argue that they have earned it, but regardless they certainly like it. Some people you could argue need their candy more than others. You cannot go to the local Duane Reade and receive a bag of Starbursts for free. Now we can choose not to purchase candies, or not purchase your candies for as many people as we do now, and some people will go without candies. Who wants to be the Big Bad Wolf and not pay for candies for the masses or take candies from one group in order to pay for candies for another group? Probably no one, but folks either need to pay or not pay for the candies that they want - that's what all of this is about.
So the United States of America, our politicians, cannot decide who is going to pay for all the candies we have become accustomed to having or decide how much candy we are going to have, or not have, in the future. I do not mean to belittle the importance of tax rates or our social safety net, but that's what the problem is and when you put it in context of candy, or something a child could understand, it seems rather silly and pathetic. My friend, we will call her A, was right - it's a simple concept.
So since this problem still has not been solved as of the writing of this post, I have resigned myself to the fact that my taxes will go up and nothing ultimately will be solved. As a society, we still have not come to a consensus as to whether or not we truly believe in a social safety net and, if so, how much net are we willing to pay for - how much money should Uncle Sam take out of our pockets? Should people who earn more pay more? Are too many people sucking on what some would say is the worn out breast of America? I don't have all the answers to these questions - you decide. However, I do know that our politicians will most likely screw us. I will keep my more detailed feelings to myself, but I will take this time to say they all bear responsibility and all have failed - the President, Congress, all of them. If they can't slam on the brakes and prevent us from flying over a fiscal cliff they created, they have failed. So with that being said, wake me up when we've either gone over the cliff or slammed on the brakes at the last minute. All of this cliff talk is giving me agita and all of the hullabaloo, while serious, is also laughable - since IT IS A MANUFACTURED CRISIS. It's like being shocked that the Con Edison bill or the rent is due on the first of the month. They created the bill and gave it a due date. The bill is due folks. The bill is due. Now pay up bitches! Pay up!
WORD OF THE DAY: PAY!!!
Off topic, the entire time I've been writing this post I have had this song in my head. This should lighten things up significantly. Here you go...
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