Obama: I'll 'Do Whatever It Takes' to Fix Fiscal Cliff ... Except Negotiate

Doesn't matter. Republicans will cave anyhow.

If there are any cuts at all, they will be either real cuts aimed at the elderly or phantom cuts that will happen regardless of whether or not they have an agreement. Or democrats will agree to future cuts that never happen, just as they have done in the past.

Republicans never learn.

 

What are the options? Borrow more fiat money and create even more debt or go over the "cliff"?

What's the worst that could happen? We'd have to cut spending and raise taxes. I'm all for cutting spending. As far as paying higher taxes, I'd rather do that than create more debt.

Wouldn't it be nice if we had a monetary policy that wasn't based on debt creation?

 

The tax increase would be a pathetic move to placate liberals while having no impact on the fiscal state of the nation.


Tax decreases, however, have been shown to bring economic growth time and time again.



Still, I believe no deal should be made until Obama and the Dem's present a budget.

 

Estimates put the revenue raised by allowing the Bush tax cuts to revert to Clinton era rates on those earning more than $250,000 a year to be between $85 Billion and $100 Billion a year, or 8.5% to 10% of this year's budget deficit. This is a significant amount. When paired with spending cuts the budget could be balanced in 6 to 7 years.

Taxes were raised on the wealthy in 1993. What followed was the longest economic expansion in U.S. history.

This is not the time to expect the Dems to propose spending bills. The Republicans control the House. The House is where spending bills originate. The House is responsible for any action on the fiscal cliff and the debt ceiling deadline. The onus is on the Republicans.

 

Between those two options, I'll take the cliff.

Poncho, we are in alignment on this one. Yikes!

It would indeed.

 

Thanks, ITL, I was afraid I would go a day without hearing Bush and Repub's being the ones told to do Obama's job.


A $4.3 billion dollar tax increase (which is Obama's tax cuts ending, not Bush's) is not even close to addressing the $1/3 trillion dollar deficit. If we include the zeros instead of the shorthand it would not look as significant as you claim it to be.


Even you liberals have to smart enough to know we cannot spend like this and expect good things to happen. Even you liberals have to admit that Obama leads the Dem's and they must be willing to actually work and lead as opposed to throw a fit, kick the can down the road and blame Bush.

This is exactly the right time to push Obama to either put up or shut up. He inherited nothing. He campaigned for it. It's his and he needs to own it.

 

That is why I call them the "stupid" party.

democrats/leftists have successfully made the word "WORK" anathema to many people and that will be the downfall of this country!

 

Don't know where you're getting the paltry amount of $4.3 Billion of revenue for a tax increase. The tax increase on the wealthy would generate between $85 billion and $100 billion a year.

A one-year extension for people making under $250,000 would cost the government $150 billion in revenue, the administration estimates, an amount that would be added to the deficit. In a point of comparison, economists estimate that letting the cuts expire for people above that threshold would generate $850 billion over 10 years.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/10/u...at-excludes-wealthiest.html?pagewanted=2&_r=0

Obama has outlined his proposal to raise the individual rates on the top 2% of Americans in order to raise $1 trillion in revenue over the next decade.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2012/11/29/fiscal-cliff-thursday/1734963/

Don't know where you're getting the budget deficit as being 1/3 Trillion ($333,333 billion).The U.S. budget deficit is about $1 trillion.

The 2012 budget gap was $1.089 trillion, smaller than last year's deficit of $1.297 trillion largely because of higher corporate income tax receipts and less spending.
http://news.yahoo.com/budget-deficit-rises-120-billion-october-190237736--business.html

Don't know where you're getting this idea that I called for increased spending by the U.S. government. Could you give me a link to where I said that?

Me, liberal? Why, because I want to raise tax rates on the wealthiest people? Is that your litmus test?

 

It is a good litmus test. As was his regular defense of Obama during the election.

 

If anyone here believes that increased tax revenue will be used for anything but more wasteful government spending, they're living in a fantasy world.

The deficit will not decrease anymore than it could without it. Obama is lying.

Even as we speak , he is laying out plans to spend the newfound tax money.

So if that makes you happy that some people pay more taxes while Congress and the liar in chief spend us into national bankruptcy, you need help. And you won't find it here.

 

Lets forget the raising of taxes for just one minute. There is another aspect to this fiscal cliff that ought to get under any American's skin, liberal or conservative. We elected the President of the United States, Senators, and House members to govern this nation. They daily get up before a microphone and say something like "we are rolling up our sleeves to come to an agreement." Really?????? If they had been doing their job in the first place, this situation would not exist. They are paid to govern this nation in a competent manner. They act like they are doing us a favor to allow the government to continue to run. That is what they are paid and elected to do. You talk about a smoke and mirrors side show, this is it if ever there was one. In other words, our message to them should be "get off your dead @#$ and do your job.

Congress has not passed a budget in three years. They take off more days than they work, and when they are in session, they are either playing political games at our expense, or are looking for ways to win the next election. The White House has shown no leadership, aside from their social, radical left agenda. Most Congressmen are spineless, such as Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell. Everyone of them should be under investigation for theft, treason, bribery, and economic terrorism.

It is one thing to have an honest debate between liberal and conservative ideas of how to run this nation. It is quite another for 536 incompetent slobs to be allowed to call the shots. The more I think about the results of this election, the more I wonder if the American people have any standards or self pride left. In essence, we elected the same Congress 90% +, and of course, the same President.

 

Send that message to Obama and a democrat dominated Senate. They haven't passed a budget in 3 years, even though the law requires it. In contrast, Republicans in the House have passed a budget every year.

Add to that the fact that two proposed budgets Obama sent to Congress were unanimously voted down and you see the root of the problem.

Democrats don't have the nerve to actually govern. But they don't have any problem spending money they don't have.

They don't want to have a budget. Budgets would force them to make difficult choices. They don't think they can be held accountable for spending that's not on paper. This election just confirmed that the majority of voters like it that way.

 

OK, this is the second time you've asserted this. Go ahead and post links to things I've written showing my support of Obama during the election.

 

Yep. True. I've got zero confidence in John Boehner's ability to work out a deal. He is the person, rightly so, that is calling for spending cuts but when Obama asks him to lay them out there so all can see, I points the finger at Obama and asks him to do it. SPINELESS!

 

I've stated that the House is responsible for spending and tax bills so they should be the ones making the proposals. Furthermore, the Senate and presidency is controlled by the Dems. The House has the power to stop any proposal the Dems put out there so in order to save time with this useless bickering it makes sense for the Reps. to make proposals.

Obama has said he wants to cut military spending, $350 billion. It's out there. He needs to put the entitlement programs out there as well.

Now answer me why the Republicans won't put entitlement programs out there as an area where they want to make cuts? Is it because they have no spines? Why are they so averse to leading?

Now tell me, specifically, where Republicans are going to find the new tax revenue they claim they are willing to go along with? "Closing loopholes and deductions" is their answer. OK, what loopholes, what deductions?