The Impending Fiscal Cliff

Cal Thomas | Syndicated Columnist | Updated: Dec 03, 2012

The Impending Fiscal Cliff

One of the reasons so many people hate Washington and politics is that the same scenes get repeated, like the movie Groundhog Day.

Congress is back in town, which is always a frightening experience. This lame duck session is charged with helping us avoid the so-called "fiscal cliff," massive tax hikes set to kick in on January 1, and sequestration, which involves massive spending cuts to substantially reduce the debt.

Congress gave us this two-headed monster because it refused to do its job in a responsible manner. The thought was that members could be forced to make right choices by making the alternative distasteful and unacceptable. We'll see about that.

Congress has a history of avoiding tough decision and, as the cliche goes, "kicking the can down the road."

We can't go on taxing and spending like this. It's the spending, not the taxing, which is the problem. But politicians don't want to say "no" to anyone. They'd better, because the alternative is, well, distasteful and unacceptable.

In Miami, I'm Cal Thomas.

Publication date: November 14, 2012



The Impending Fiscal Cliff