You Make a Difference on the Fiscal Cliff Debate

Don’t ever think you don’t make a difference on the fiscal cliff debate because you do. Get involved in this issue and demand more cooperation and civil debate in Congress!
by Charlie Leck

Can we think of this fiscal cliff business between the Republicans and the President in the simplest terms? Like, say, the following?
The Republicans in Congress are holding 98 percent of all Americans hostage, allowing their taxes to rise, rather than be cut, unless the President agrees to no tax hikes for the wealthiest 2 percent.

Read it again, if you will, but that is the crux of the issue. The Republicans are holding firm and the President is going to let the country slide over this gentle cliff if they don’t change their position.

Don’t look for a compromise. As of now, there is none in the making!

However, Oklahoma’s Republican Congressman, Tom Cole, has withdrawn from that gang of hostage-takers and says we should reduce taxes for the 98 percent and let the rates rise on the 2 percent. His constituents are agreeing by about 70 percent or more. Less than 2 percent of households in his district have income above $200,000. These people don’t want a hike in their tax rate. The gang of Republicans appears to be willing to allow those hikes to take effect.

Bear in mind, Congressman Tom Cole is, and has been throughout his career, and absolute conservative Republican; however, he has some common sense and some concept of where his constituency is. That’s the way the system is supposed to work. Yet, many of these Republicans seem to be working against their very own constituents.

If you’re confused, go back and read the sentence above, in bold type, again.

The Republican leadership is insane with stubbornness in spite of the President’s recent election victory. They refuse to recognize that the majority of Americans have spoken in favor of the President. What will it take to shake up this group of shallow-minded, selfish and callous politicians?

Now Cole is beginning to speak out more boldly. See the 27 November story in the NY Times. After all, he was elected by a 61 percent margin in his district. He calls for the Republican Party to join with the President “for now.” In an interview with Politico last Tuesday night, Congressman Cole said: “The first thing I’d do is make sure we don’t raise taxes on 98 percent of the American people. We’d get some credit for that, and it’s the right thing to do.”

The NY Times wonders, in the article referenced above, if the Republicans could be softening. So far, I don’t see that. If another half-dozen or so Republicans come out in agreement with Cole, then we might be seeing something significant. These will need to be Republicans whose constituencies resemble those of Congressman Cole – and there should be plenty of those in the lower income southern and southwestern congressional districts.

We’ll just have to see.

At the moment, the President holds the big stick and that is his election victory – a victory that compiled nearly one hundred more electoral votes than he needed. He campaigned continually on cutting taxes for those people with income under $250,000 and letting the temporary low taxes rates for those over that amount expire. He essentially asked the people to vote on the question!

The President is calling on the American people to respond to these delays in Congress – that is, in the House of Representatives. He’s calling on regular people to flood their congressperson’s email and mail boxes with requests that they cooperate with the President and enter into real negotiations. Citizens all over the nation are starting to respond to that request, but you need to do it, too.

Does your Republican Congressman know you want him to be more open to compromise and cooperation now that the election question has been settled? Mine does! I sent off a courteous note to him today, expressing my hope that he would be more cooperative and compromising for the good of the American people! His problem is that he has a large number of constituents who exceed that $250,000 earning level. He’ll have to get over it!

If you have a Republican Congressman, get the message to him or her today! Ask for more openness and cooperation in the House. You can begin at this USA.gov web site and easily get the message to your Congressman. Don’t ever think you don’t make a difference, because you do!

And, pass the message on
to your friends on Facebook, Twitter and even your email address lists. Ask them to contact their Representatives in Congress and request civil discourse and cooperation with the President. Tell them they can begin at this USA.gov web site.

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