If you've been tuning in to the "fiscal cliff" debate over the last several weeks, you may have noticed that the focus of the discussion has largely ignored Washington's spending problem. Instead, it has turned into a wish list of new revenue sources, including higher taxes on family businesses. It's clear that most people in Washington have already decided how they want to handle this situation—and the American people are getting the raw end of the deal.
Federal spending approaches nearly $4 trillion each year. President Obama himself has been responsible for the five highest deficits in U.S. history, and future deficits are projected to skyrocket even if we go off the fiscal cliff. Yet despite his record, President Obama has succeeded in making this debate about the tax rates of two percent of the population. His divisive political maneuvering has allowed him to once again avoid the real issue at hand.
[See a collection of political cartoons on the fiscal cliff.]
Unfortunately, the Democrats are hiding a dirty little secret. No matter how much they raise taxes on the American people, unchecked federal spending will still destroy this country. Folks may call this the fiscal cliff, but it's just a dip in the road compared to what's coming if Washington keeps burning through money.
President Obama acts as though he wants to confront our deficit, but his cuts are just more of the same budget tricks that we've seen in the past. What his proposal actually includes is $1.6 trillion in new taxes, hundreds of billions in new spending, and "savings" that are either hypothetical or already slated to happen.
If this plan—and the last four years—are any indication of what's to come, it's safe to say that the President has no intention of ever dealing with the true crisis we face. And as we've seen time and time again, once you give the federal government more money or power, you rarely get it back.
[See a collection of political cartoons on the Democratic Party.]
Perhaps the saddest aspect of this situation is that the president is hurting those who he supposedly aims to help. To date, we've spent trillions upon trillions of dollars on federal programs. Yet the ultimate effects of big spenders like President Obama and Congressional Democrats are nothing but massive waste, an impossible bureaucracy, and never-ending dependence. The middle class and those in poverty are the ones who will suffer most from the enormous debt from these policies, if left unchecked.
It's time to stop the insanity of fueling broken government programs with more money from the American people. Instead, we ought to focus on creating lasting, good paying jobs.
[See a collection of political cartoons on the budget and deficit.]
Without dramatic changes in how our federal government spends money, we're hurtling toward a true financial collapse. Giving this administration more tax dollars won't delay that inevitable consequence. If anything, it will allow them to put the pedal down, and bring us to the precipice of destruction much faster.
I'm already on record as being against raising taxes for anyone. Instead, we need to cut spending and reform the system to let businesses grow. I urge Americans who want a return to a stable and prosperous future to let Washington know that that our economy can't afford more taxes. We the people need to loudly declare that avoiding our real spending crisis is completely unacceptable.
- Peter Roff: President Obama Wants To Go Over the Fiscal Cliff
- Read Mort Zuckerman: Stop Playing Fiscal Chicken
- Check out U.S. News Weekly: an insider's guide to politics and policy.
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