Fiscal Cliff Or The Father's Dilemma

The reader understands that we're dealing with metaphors.  The "fiscal cliff" has nothing to do with a geological outcropping.  Likewise, the ethical choice facing a father who must choose between his wife and his 10-year old daughter serves as a useful metaphor in describing the choice Congressional Republicans faced when they cast their vote for, or against, the fiscal bill that to be voted on before the end of 2012.

(The "father's dilemma" refers to an ethical exercise where a father sees his wife drowning and then also sees his daughter drowning.  He realizes that because one is far to the left and the other far to the right, he can only reach one in time to save that person's life.  The other will drown.)

The pundits will describe the situation of the Republicans as follows:  Obama out-foxed the Republicans.  He set up a situation where, if they had not voted for his plan -- one with little or no modification -- they would have been accused of destroying the American economy.  This was clear to the Republicans.  However, they also knew that voting for the bill would do nothing to stem America's hemorrhaging debts.  The bill addressed taxes, but left the larger problem; namely, runaway spending in as bad a state as it had ever been.  They could vote for, or against, this bill, but , either way, it would do nothing to alleviate America's mushrooming indebtedness.

For the Democrats, America's debt crisis seems not to be a problem.  Kicking the problem down the road works for them just fine.  By the time the problem became truly unmanageable, Obama will be  out of office as will be most Democratic Congressmen.

The next opportunity that will present itself to the Republicans will be when the debt ceiling has to be raised.  Here the options will be simpler.  If the Republicans don't agree to a debt ceiling increase, the U.S. may well default on some of its obligations.  That wouldn't be good.  Indeed, it would most likely impair America's credit rating.  But, if debt, as a percentage of GDP, continues to spiral upward, it's just a matter of time before our credit rating becomes impaired anyway.  And, if it were to happen now, it would give us more time to remedy the situation than if it happened later.  If you question this, go ask Spain, or Italy, or Greece.

This fiscal crisis lays clearly on Obama's doorstep.  It's not the Democratic congressmen and the Republican congressmen who can't work things out.  It's Obama's my-way-or-the-highway attitude that's brought us to this sad state.  Can you imagine LBJ, or Reagan, or FDR not working with the opposition in Congress?  The only thing we seem to have learned from this is that Obama has made Joe Biden look really, really good