Harry Reid: It's too late. We are going over the fiscal cliff - Polidicks

I for one am not looking forward to that each child will only be worth 500 in tax relief and that there will be a 25% capital gains tax added to corporations. I don't know, maybe that wont change much, maybe they'll fire even more people and unemployment will spike back up to 9% like predicted, or maybe the greedy corporate fucks will stop living so lavishly and give a little more money towards their company and their workers. I seriously am worried about the next few years in America. I hope they don't affect the military benefits I'm already receiving and I hope they don't affect me much going to college.

[QUOTE=Im Crimson;39010442]The "cliff" is a bunch of spending cuts and tax increases that will automatically come into effect unless the folks in charge manage to agree on a different solution. It's an emergency step towards remedying the rampant budget deficit. The result will be that everybody will end up with less money in their pocket. Any measures that may help the deficit will be good in the long run, but in the short run it may cause recession.[/QUOTE] The funny thing is that Congress made all these policies years ago to force Congress to actually do something about it. Not even Congress can't get Congress to do something useful.

[QUOTE=Terminutter;39008106]I'd argue that they should recieve the mean wage at best, or ideally minimum / no wage. Congress should be serving the country and people, not a career move.[/QUOTE] If nobody was paid anything, then poor representatives would be fucked. At least if you pay them, the place becomes at the very least, open to those of merit. Wages should be high enough to prevent corruption, but not too high to allow them to live a life of luxury. Perhaps pegged to their merits?

[QUOTE=Sobotnik;39010755]If nobody was paid anything, then poor representatives would be fucked. At least if you pay them, the place becomes at the very least, open to those of merit. Wages should be high enough to prevent corruption, but not too high to allow them to live a life of luxury. Perhaps pegged to their merits?[/QUOTE]How would you judge a representative's merits, beyond attendance rates and obeying the law?

[QUOTE=Mrs. Moon;39010548]I seriously am worried about the next few years in America. I hope they don't affect the military benefits I'm already receiving and I hope they don't affect me much going to college.[/QUOTE] military spending is part of what got america where it is now remember reagans star wars defense system? [editline]29th December 2012[/editline] [QUOTE=Sgt Doom;39010768]How would you judge a representative's merits, beyond attendance rates and obeying the law?[/QUOTE] Check their resumes and education certificates I guess.

Well it will seriously suck if they cut my benefits. I"m using them to pay for college and to live while I'm at school. If those get cut from me, that's 30 years of service down the drain. That's not fair to take away military benefits from people who are already promised them.

[QUOTE=Sobotnik;39010755]If nobody was paid anything, then poor representatives would be fucked. At least if you pay them, the place becomes at the very least, open to those of merit. Wages should be high enough to prevent corruption, but not too high to allow them to live a life of luxury. Perhaps pegged to their merits?[/QUOTE]Their income should be capped at the mean income for whatever level of government they are at. So a local councilperson for example is paid at the mean income as the local community. State politicians are paid at the same level as the state, and federal politicians are paid at the same level as the whole population.

[QUOTE=Mrs. Moon;39010811]Well it will seriously suck if they cut my benefits. I"m using them to pay for college and to live while I'm at school. If those get cut from me, that's 30 years of service down the drain. That's not fair to take away military benefits from people who are already promised them.[/QUOTE] A lot of promises made by politicians are empty ones.

It's law though...

[QUOTE=Mrs. Moon;39010985]It's law though...[/QUOTE] Laws do change however.

[QUOTE=Im Crimson;39010442]The "cliff" is a bunch of spending cuts and tax increases that will automatically come into effect unless the folks in charge manage to agree on a different solution. It's an emergency step towards remedying the rampant budget deficit. The result will be that everybody will end up with less money in their pocket. Any measures that may help the deficit will be good in the long run, but in the short run it may cause recession.[/QUOTE]Oh. So it's the exact opposite of what I thought.

So they gonna decide what to do any time soon or can we call all hope lost?

The ultimate issue here is that its required for Republicans to sign a pledge to not raise taxes. Its become a major sticking point because if a Republican won't sign it, then the the group places funding on a republican who can and will do so. The Republican party is slowly getting strangled by the interests that have funded them.

[QUOTE=Swilly;39018764]The ultimate issue here is that its required for Republicans to sign a pledge to not raise taxes. Its become a major sticking point because if a Republican won't sign it, then the the group places funding on a republican who can and will do so. The Republican party is slowly getting strangled by the interests that have funded them.[/QUOTE] But where is the logic in that, if passing the cliff will smother them in even worse tax increases regardless? What's this pledge, anyway?

[QUOTE=smurfy;38992982]Eh? Republicans maintained control of the House[/QUOTE] too busy fapping to godzilla to notice

[QUOTE=Im Crimson;39018901]But where is the logic in that, if passing the cliff will smother them in even worse tax increases regardless? What's this pledge, anyway?[/QUOTE] The pledge is basically you cannot increase taxes ever. Grover Norquist was an advisor for Reagan and created the pledge after Reagan had to raise taxes. The pledge means any tax increase through either actually increasing it or closing loopholes is inexcusable. It didn't really take much steam until 2000 when the big dicks at the GOP took the pledge.

[QUOTE=Swilly;39019073]The pledge is basically you cannot increase taxes ever. Grover Norquist was an advisor for Reagan and created the pledge after Reagan had to raise taxes. The pledge means any tax increase through either actually increasing it or closing loopholes is inexcusable. It didn't really take much steam until 2000 when the big dicks at the GOP took the pledge.[/QUOTE] So the pledge was basically created by those guys to firmly cement their ideology in the Republican party for all future? What a bunch of cunts.

Pledging to never raise taxes ever no matter what happens is insanely dumb. oh right, GOP lol.

Grover Norquist is a giant man child. He admitted, on the Daily Show of all places, that he came up with the idea in grade school.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHv5jgXz9I8[/media]

If there is no deal made, the United States will fall into a recession worse than the 2007 - 2009 one.

Glad to see that you can travel time.

America goes under new years? My birthday is the 13th of January. [I]Happy birthday to me...[/I]

[QUOTE=Coppermoss;38992995]The Republicans should give Obama everything he wants. America voted for his policies, so the GOP should give it to them, for better or worse, right or wrong. I don't agree with the policies per se, but I have gone pass the point of caring enough to put up resistance.[/QUOTE] The whole point of the "checks and balances" system is so that some shmuck can't just get into office and do as he pleases.