How to properly approach the fiscal cliff.

Am I the only person who actually remembers 2011?  The entire media certainly seems to have forgotten.  All you hear about today is how critical it is for Congress to “compromise” with Obama (which of course means, raise taxes dramatically and do not cut spending at all) in order to avoid the dreaded “fiscal cliff.”  Both the liberal and conservative media (who never agree on anything whatsoever) are absolutely convinced that going over the fiscal cliff would be a complete and unmitigated disaster which must be avoided at all costs.

Somehow though, during all the media analysis, the question of exactly why the fiscal cliff exists in the first place never seems to be asked.  The implication is that it just magically appeared.  Something that just sort of happened on its own.  Something that the insurance industry would refer to as an “act of God.”  Except it wasn’t an act of God, it was an act of people who think they are God:  Obama, and the U.S. Congress.

You see, back in 2011, those stupid evil tea party Congressmen had the unmitigated nerve to actually suggest that being $16 trillion in debt maybe wasn’t the greatest idea of all time.  That perhaps spending a trillion more than we take in was a pretty poor idea, and that maybe we should do something about it.  So, when Obama came to them to demand that they raise the debt ceiling and let him borrow even more money, they said no.  The MSM, predictably, pitched a fit, and the Democrats immediately threatened to stop paying the military and stop issuing social security checks.  Everyone seemed to agree that refusing to borrow even more money would result in complete chaos.  They absolutely insisted that we have some sort of bipartisan compromise deal, where Obama got to borrow more money right now in exchange for a promise that he would cut some spending later.

This resulted in the “Budget Control Act of 2011.”  In an incredibly rare display of intelligence and foresight, the Republicans, knowing that the Democrats would absolutely refuse to cut spending, had built-in across the board “sequestration” cuts that would kick in automatically if the unconstitutional “super committee” couldn’t come up with cuts of their own.  The super committee, to the surprise of absolutely nobody, didn’t come up with anything, so now, we face the sequestration cuts.  It is critical to remember that this bill passed with bipartisan support, and was supported and signed into law by Barack Obama.  Despite these “automatic cuts” being built-in to the legislation, most tea party conservatives were skeptical, knowing that the government still had plenty of time to avoid them.

Which is exactly what is happening now.  The exact same people who fought in favor of the sequestration cuts have now given them a sinister, disastrous-sounding nickname (fiscal cliff) and insist that if allowed to occur, will end civilization as we know it.  Back in 2011, when the tea party had some political momentum, Obama wanted everyone to believe he was serious about cutting spending.  Now that he has the momentum, he wants everyone to believe that cutting spending is a disaster that must not be allowed to occur.  The RINOS in the GOP are no better.  The “solution” that they gave us last year is now the “problem” this year that requires a NEW “bipartisan compromise” which will surely raise taxes now in exchange for vague promises of future spending cuts that will undoubtedly never materialize.  It is critical that we see through this charade, and refuse to believe in the boogeyman of the fiscal cliff.  Last year, we were promised spending cuts.  It is time to demand them.