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FISCAL CLIFF

Fiscal Cliff Talks Off to a Ropey Start

Like the ice cream, course of negotiations is a hard rocky road

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by PolitixMayday

Staff Writer t

Image: AP

Bipartisan discussions over the fiscal cliff are off to a rough start, sources close to the negotiation tell Politico. The problem: there remains a massive divide over taxes. Democrats want to raise taxes on the earners over $250,000 from 35% to 39.6%. Republicans don't want to raise taxes at all.

Republican's aren't convinced the White House and fellow Hill Democrats will give enough concessions on entitlement spending to justify any proposed tax hikes.

Beyond freezing tax rates, Politico reports, Republicans are pushing for changes to entitlement spending, an overhaul of the tax code, and a postponement on the looming sequester, which threatens to cut billions from both Pentagon and domestic programs.

Then there's the debt ceiling. The Treasury Department is pushing to raise the borrowing limit in 2013 - something they could very well get as a part of the fiscal cliff negotiations. That is, so long as House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) feels that Democrats are willing to negotiate.

Notably, Politico reports, current discussions are limited to White House and Boehner aides, excluding other major Congressional leaders.

Via Politico
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Do you think the nation's leaders will resolve the fiscal cliff in time?

43 Comments (view in Forum)

  • FollowTheMoney
    !
    @MBernard Congress isn't in the business of solving problems. They are in the business of getting re-elected. When will we finally except the fact and do something about it. The Democrats and Republican do not represent the political ideologies they pretend to.
  • Dan_Tien
    !
    @PolitixMary Thanks for taking the bullet. You should know better than trying to educate us with more picturesque speech.

    ropey
    adjective (ropier, ropiest)(also ropy)/ˈrəʊ.pi//ˈroʊ-/ mainly UK informal
    Definition: in bad condition or of low quality
    Your tyres look a bit ropey, don't they?

    Google? What's that?
  • martydotcom
    !
    @Dan_Tien Mary could have made it a spell check error. "rocky" vs "ropey"

    With Ryan leading the GOP "effort". any hope that the talks be anything other than a tad ropey is wishful thinking. "Take thee to the cliff," sayith Bonhner !
  • MRMacrum
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    I hold out hope Congress will do something "in time". But when it comes to Congress, I have become used to having my hopes dashed. So, I guess I have no clue whether they will sit on their hands or make some decisions.
  • FollowTheMoney
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    Come on man, this isn't your first time. You have to know nothing of significance or substance will be done. They'll make a ten year plan, with no changes until the tenth year. By then, they'll have sold two more entirely different plans.
  • MRMacrum
    !
    @FollowTheMoney - You are probably right. Just tonight I heard some republicans are suggesting another kick the can down the road scenario where they put the "cliff" on hold for another year. Apparently a spokesman from Moody's, the credit rating folks, warned that if the can does indeed get kicked down the road one more time, yet another downgrade in the US credit rating will occur.
  • jessejaymes
    !
    The GOP demanded the "fiscal cliff" and now they want to avert it? Why? Well let's think about that. It would certainly hurt a bunch of their 400.00 a hammer and 1,500.00 toilet seats wouldn't it? Here's a thought. Cut Military contractor spending in half. Tell the contractors you'll give them 30.00 a hammer or else send a senate page over to Home Depot to pick up a couple of million for 20.00 each. The Military just spent a million dollars on a phone app to tell soldiers when it was time to go on a coffee break. Assuming you're in battle you don't get coffee breaks. If you're not, we think you're smart enough to figure it out on your own.
  • jessejaymes
    !
    @Dan_Tien Well I could do that or I could just use my medical marijuana card here in Cali. But they are not going to give up their raises either way.
  • artjeb
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    @jessejaymes YOU are absolutly correct about thier pay. there is a LOT of chump change there that could be eliminated BUT , DON' HOLD your breath
  • Dan_Tien
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    @jessejaymes I think that they take turns voting against it though. If you are up for election, it is your turn to vote against. By the way, I was only joking. I don't smoke.
  • DogLady_1
    !
    Fiscal cliff... that's a fancy term for, "Oh my gosh, I actually now have to reap what I sowed in my previous term in congress!" Hey, if it was such a dandy idea a few years ago, why is it all of a sudden something to dread? And why did you pass legislation that you didn't think through? How about all you federal elected officials reduce your pay to the national median income and use that money to pay down some debt and interest. With an income of $52K a year, maybe you'll come up with some good ideas that actually work for the common citizen. I'd rather feel alot of pain now than live in prolonged agony over several years... Stop putting off the inevitibale thinking it will suddenly correct itself if we just keep spending money we don't have... The federal gov't spends a whopping 25% of our income... our GDP... there is something wrong with that... something terribly wrong... fix it, or get off the pot!
  • scotta
    !
    edeNo. I don't want them to. The also should raise taxes on anybody. The debt ceiling should not be raised. There should be cuts in spending, remove all excess jobs that are not needed. Everybody in the house and senate should take a 50% pay cut, the President is included in this also. Amendment to the constitution that all taxes and pay raises must be approved by the voters. Switch their health care to Obama care, just like we the people are stuck with. Then let's talk about tax increases and raising the debt ceiling.
  • scotta
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    @Elliotsreport they are the only employees I know who set their own pay. It should be the employers decision to give or not to give pay raises.
  • scotta
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    @Elliotsreport it should be placed on the ballot every year. The tax payers the decide if the house Senate or president deserve a pay increases. We have constitutional amendment in Missouri that the state house and senate can not raise taxes with out the tax payers voting on it. It would work the same way.

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  • Bobolinsky
    !
    Listening to the talking heads since the election I have come to two conclusions. Republicans are willing to compromise on "more revenue" but the democrats play the emotion card when it comes to entitlement reform.

    My prediction is that democrats will renege on any entitlement reform and and insist that all cuts come from defense. Then they will blame republicans for not being willing to compromise.

    Remember, the liberal definition of compromise is "not lurching quite as far Left as the democrats want to take us."
  • Fishbone345
    !
    I know of 5 Departments we could cut, and shut down and would have an immediate impact on the budget. But, with Dr. Paul leaving, I'm sure there will be no more mention of such heresy.
  • seedtick
    !
    Barack Husssein Obama's watch....his economy....his fiscal cliff. If you send the wicked witch of the west back to San Fran and send "Duh whadda we do now" Harry back to Vegas, leave the Rebub helpers at home, the Speaker and the Pres could work it out. This could be handled mano e mano without the two twits and John's helpers in the room. This takes all but two sets of fingers out of the room.
    But, Nancy would probably pucker so hard she would disappear up her on butt..and Harry would be found running in circles in the desert.
  • Zazziness
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    Like ice cream, a hard rocky road...??? OK, Politix. Please up the caffeine in your employee coffee because wow. You don't want comparisons like that often, I think.
  • PNWest
    !
    I think that they will come to an agreement. In the long term it will be better if the GOP continues to act like stubborn little children and refuses to budge. The vast majority of the public knows what they are doing and will make them pay in 2014 if they refuse to compromise. The dems have asked them to vote for tax cuts for the bottom 98%. The GOP refuses. Make them pay.
  • lawnmowrman
    !
    No they will not do it in time, and they should not make the effort. Everyone should take the cuts and endure the pain now for the benefit of our Grandchildren. Entitlement cuts will have a significant effect on our population. The deaths of so many elderly persons will take some of the strain off of Social Security. The military will be forced to do it's job and protect our borders rather than police the world. Corporate profits will plummet. The jobless rate will skyrocket. The U.S. will find itself in a depression taking much of the world's nations with it. We need a global reset. Some of my statement is sarcasm and some is not.
  • harold
    !
    Don't kid yourself that this cliffhanger will have a good ending.
    My estimate is that there is a 35% chance that no agreement will be reached by the end of the year.
  • Thegrif
    !
    "Republican's aren't convinced the White House and fellow Hill Democrats will give enough concessions on entitlement spending to justify any proposed tax hikes."
    So all that needs to be done is Dems cut their spending, and Reps will sign off on tax increase. It is called compromise- it's called politics, in fact its life.
    So I don't see how this gets thrown off on Reps as the bad guys. Raise the tax without cutting spending serves no real purpose, we still go under because we spend more than the tax increase will make.
    Both sides gotta give on this one.
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