Happy New...Fiscal Cliff?!

Who doesn't love a cartoon to start their day?

Let me get this straight: we barely avoided the debt ceiling in 2011 by self-inflicting a fiscal cliff that we just barely dodged last night by self-imposing another debt ceiling/fiscal cliff on March 1st.

You have got to be kidding me.

We live in America, where we have the opportunity and responsibility to elect our own leaders. But you know, our elected leaders have the opportunity and responsibility to do what is best for the country that elected them. Leading does not mean sticking by your idea no matter what. Leading is taking a step back, looking at the big picture, and compromising to do what is right for the country without a bunch of petty partisan complaints. While personal beliefs are important, giving a little bit of ground to gain the trust of a nation is essential and so much more valuable in the long run. Private citizens have the luxury to be stuck in our ways and refuse to see the other side. Elected leaders do not.

I am not an economist by any stretch of the imagination, but I can't imagine that we are handling our economic problems appropriately. If I needed money for something, I would never go to one of those "Quick Loans" places to get an instant check with an astronomical interest rate. It would end up costing me between two and four times the amount I initially borrowed. That's kind of what it feels like the U.S. is doing right now, though. We're looking for quick fixes for things that cannot be fixed quickly, and then we have bigger problems later because we refused to do it right the first time.

This post is not about blaming any specific party or person for the way we are handling our economy. It's simply my wondering out loud if our leaders (all of them, on both sides of the aisle) are really interested in helping our country the way their constituents want them to, or if they are more interested in their own personal agendas and getting ahead in their careers.

So. We've given ourselves less than two months to get another "deal" cut. I know that I don't get to choose where my tax dollars go, but I don't like them going to the salaries of a bunch of congressmen who refuse to make some permanent changes for the betterment of our country. I do not want to be another one of those citizens who sits in front of my TV and is the "Couch Coach." I refuse. I don't see the point in complaining from my couch if I'm not doing my job as a concerned citizen by taking action and making my voice heard. So let's make our voices heard! Let's pressure our senators and representatives and president to make the deal that must be made by March 1st a more permanent solution for our nation than what we've been in the habit of doing.

"Be the change you wish to be in the world." --Gandhi