It is really quite amusing to read all the hullaballoo of one party pushing the other off the fiscal cliff.
What is the fiscal cliff? Picture federal overspending overwhelming the federal government's ability to increase taxes causing destruction of the economic well-being of the people. Who suffers? All of us.
We have a cliff because our government is spending way more than it can ever take in. The rest of the noise you hear is all shibai. When both parties find a way to conscientiously cut the overspending, reform, tighten and simplify our tax code, then we can be prosperous.
So far neither the Republicans nor the Democrats want to responsibly address the overspending problem. It looks like both want to talk about their diversion of tax reform and hide the real problem - overspending.
I hope by now it is obvious to all that the spending is the problem. Whether you call it pork, Obamacare, government investment, etc., it is money committed into the future we don't have.
The Tea Party wants to balance the budget. That means make spending equal to existing government revenues. Is that radical? Seems like the common sense alternative to constant Republican and Democrat deception.
Let's hope all parties in Congress and our president come to their senses and reduce spending to a level we can afford into the future. Real reductions in spending and equitable reformation of the tax code would be responsible accomplishments for the success of America.
Thomas Fairbanks
Wailuku
