RE: The Fiscal Cliff and punishing those who screw things up!

[benush26]

So why is it, we as average citizens (okay so many of you are Above Average Citizens), have no way of punishing Congress or the White House for screwing up!
All of the nimrod crap for brains that are elected have no real reason to fix things. If they screw it up then they shrug their over burdened shoulders (I mean REAL thick sarcasm here!!) and simply go on.

Yes, I do understand that we can choose to not reelect them, but it does not mean anything. They get a cushy job with one of the K Street lobbyists and their life goes on.

Why are there NO consequences for those in power?

[bhurley]

I would ask why there are no concequences for those who send a person who cannot lead to a second term in the Whitehouse.

[dusty]

There will be consequences but like someone else said, we have to wait until it is done before we really know.

I have a feeling that my first glimpse of how this is going to impact me will come with my retirement check in January and will be finished off when I finally learn how this impacts my medical coverage. Medical expenses are where I most fear getting clobbered.

Hope I am wrong!

[trainguytom]

I had the opportunity to see "Lincoln", the movie last week. It was, by the way an excellent movie, even though there there were no car chase scenes, mutants, monsters, or sex scenes.

One of the things I found interesting (and frustrating) was the political game playing, deals and just plain crap that went on in order to get things done by congress. My impression is that the members of congress back then were all a bunch of self serving idiots.

Now, after about 150 years of growth, enlightenment, and evolution, I believe that the members of congress are all a bunch of self serving idiots...with smart phones. Hoo-haa...that's progress for ya! Happy new year to us!

[J R in MO/TX]

Now, after about 150 years of growth, enlightenment, and evolution, I believe that the members of congress are all a bunch of self serving idiots...with smart phones. Hpoo-haa...that's progress for ya! Happy new year to us!

X2 It is all about What is my personal gain.

[trainguytom]

X2 It is all about What is my personal gain.

Just my own inconsequential opinion here, but it really seems that those in congress are more interested in political philosophy i.e. liberal, conservative, tea party, etc, than actually working together to run the country in a fiscally responsible manner.

And then in the eleventh hour, when they're at the edge of the cliff, they try to buckle down & hammer out something. I guess I'll stand by my original description of those in congress.

[tcbetka]

I'd like to be able to refute all this criticism of Congress and our politicians, and say that they all have our best interests at heart.

...but I cannot tell a lie.

They are there to screw us, the sheeple, to their benefits. Check out Neil deGrasse Tyson's assessment of the whole political "system" we have in this country. Just go to YouTube and search for a couple videos on his appearances.

Until we make it more desirable to get elected and get things done for altruistic reasons, rather than reasons of monetary (or power) gain, we're hosed.

I guess dad really *was* right when he said that you get what you pay for.

[major_bob]

In !my opinion, we are already "over the cliff" and have been for several years. All we are debating now is about how hard we hit the bottom.

As frustrated as I am, I don't blame individual congressmen as much as I do the people that put them there. The American public is getting exactly what it asked for and has continued to vote for.

The real criminal part of it is the "generational theft" that is going on. We are dumping trillions and trillions in debt on our children and grandchildren who have no chance of ever enjoying the America that we have had.

[jayp413]

I would ask why there are no concequences for those who send a person who cannot lead to a second term in the Whitehouse.

How can you lead a group whose sole purpose is to make you fail? How can you lead a group that does not have the best interest of the country in mind? How can you lead a group that simply wants you to fail and the rich get richer?
How can you lead a wild pack of Republicans hell bent on tanking the country in the hopes it will lead to a republican president next term?
America voted and it showed loud and clear that people are tired of the Republican 1% favoritism and they are tired of them blocking any progress all in the name of making Obama look bad.
They should dissolve all parties and just have a congress, senate, local governmet that works FOR THE PEOPLE!

[Ed in Tampa]

I had the opportunity to see "Lincoln", the movie last week. It was, by the way an excellent movie, even though there there were no car chase scenes, mutants, monsters, or sex scenes.

One of the things I found interesting (and frustrating) was the political game playing, deals and just plain crap that went on in order to get things done by congress. My impression is that the members of congress back then were all a bunch of self serving idiots.

Now, after about 150 years of growth, enlightenment, and evolution, I believe that the members of congress are all a bunch of self serving idiots...with smart phones. Hoo-haa...that's progress for ya! Happy new year to us!

Reember the movie Lincoln is a rewrite of history. Go read some of the works produced at the time of Lincoln and find out what really happened. Not the current rewrite of history we are being feed today.