Standing at a cliff’s edge
Can we avoid a fiscal disaster?
The uproar that became the norm of the 2012 election season has now officially come and gone, and a new political chapter is soon to be written. In these next four years, new challenges will face Congress, many of which deal with the national deficit, the economy and how the U.S. will balance the budget. One of these issues is referred to as the “fiscal cliff.”
“The ‘fiscal cliff’ is a term used to describe the convergence of two events on Dec. 31, 2012 — the expiration of almost every tax cut enacted since 2001 and a scheduled reduction in government spending,” Forbes Magazine correspondent Tony Nitta said in a recent online article.
Grover Norquist, a lobbyist and the president of Americans for Tax Reform, has been petitioning Republicans to sign his Taxpayer Protection Pledge, which seems more interested in blocking legislation than passing it.
According to his organization’s website, this pledge says that signers must “oppose and vote against tax increases” and “oppose any net reduction or elimination of deductions and credits, unless matched dollar for dollar by further reducing tax rates.”
Though several congressmen have said they would not follow Norquist’s anti-tax pledge, more than 200 congressman and 39 senators of the upcoming Congress have signed this pledge.
Now we patiently wait to see how many more will do the same.
To put it simply, this pledge is reckless and irresponsible. The Republican Party cannot afford to be the party of “no” for another four years. Becoming a party of glorified obstructionists makes one question the reality of their principles for the future success of the American people.
It may not be fun or easy to pay more taxes, but that does not make it wrong.
Hardly any politician is quick to say that raising taxes is part of their platform, but Republicans cannot act as though paying more taxes is morally wrong, creating an issue that cannot be compromised on in any way, shape or form.
The Republicans have the majority in the House of Representatives, and the Democrats have the majority in the Senate, so no major fix to this crisis is going to come unless both sides are willing to reach some sort of understanding.
By refusing to raise taxes in any form, Republicans are diminishing any chance of an agreement before negotiations have begun.
Even if a raise in taxes is not the best solution, it is better than no solution. It is unreasonable to expect Democrats to agree to any type of spending cuts or reforms unless Republicans are willing to compromise on their issues as well.
A recent poll by CNN with ORC International revealed that 67 percent of Americans want Congress to resolve budget issues with a combination of both tax increases and spending cuts.
The American people want their leaders to find common ground and create real solutions to their country’s problems. Norquist’s anti-tax pledged stands in opposition to this.
For now, congressmen should stick to only one pledge, which they pledged when they gave their oath of office. That pledge is to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States.”