Politicians Fiddle as Washington (and the Nation) Burn...

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny

The political games continue. Or should we say the political inability to talk across the table with sincerity and a willingness to find workable solutions continues? This nation, sooner or later will need to come to terms with its very real, and largest problem, fiscal instability and perhaps eventual insolvency. The reality is spending cuts are needed, both defense and domestic, the antiquated tax code needs to be overhauled and simplified, tax loopholes need to be closed, and yes, some degree of revenue increases needs to be implemented. If the nation is truly serious about debt reduction and achieving a balance budget it is only going to happen through spending cuts, revenue increases, tax reform, and regulatory overhaul.

The nation's lawmakers can continue acting as they have, which of course will only lead us further down the road to national fiscal destruction, or, they can take the alternative approach. Their choice really belongs to us, We the People.

Ideology is great when talking philosophy, and it is very possible to live ones philosophy as an individual throughout ones life. However, we are talking about a diverse, complex, and populous nation and  because of the different dynamics the rules of the game, out of necessity, change. Isn't it time lawmakers (and the constituents who sent them to Washington) begin acting like adults and consider what the best LONG TERM  interests of our country are?

It seems that compromise, as much as I find it distasteful in many ways, is the only course  prudent and reasonable citizens or lawmakers ought to take.

BuzzFeed - While lawmakers in Washington trade shots over the $1.2 trillion in automatic spending cuts, due to take effect Friday, there's a growing consensus among liberals across the country that the real threat to the social safety net isn't this fight, but the next one.

As originally designed in 2011, the deficit-reduction sequester splits cuts between defense and domestic spending, and explicitly exempted programs like Social Security and Medicaid. But no one in Washington believes the sequester cuts will be permanent, and liberals worry the deal Congress eventually reaches to replace it will slash funding to those programs — as Republicans and some Democrats have advocated.

"There's a broader concern about the fact that entitlements may get ensnared when we go to an alternative fix, [that] they won't escape," Rep. Jerry Nadler, a progressive Democrat from New York, told BuzzFeed. "I have heard that concern."

"Not only do we have the sequester, but we have to be thinking about the deal that replaces it as well," said Melissa Boteach, a director at the Center for American Progress. "Republicans have already begin to push hard for benefit cuts."

Although House Democrats signed a letter this month stating their opposition to entitlement cuts, President Barack Obama has signaled a willingness to bring such spending reductions to the table as part of a grand bargain with Republicans.

During the fiscal cliff talks last year, the president said he would consider implementing "chained CPI," a Social Security reform that would increase benefits more slowly over time... {Read More}

Via: Memeorandum