Fiscal cliff deal: Missed opportunity

Good editorial and highlights why on balance our senators should have voted no. Beyond that, our same Georgia congressmen that voted no on the fiscal cliff deal, voted today to re-elect the weakest Speaker in decades and the Speaker that voted for the fiscal cliff deal. Make sense to you? Of course not but we are speaking of Congress aren't we.

What should be done with raising the debt ceiling, the next congressional/Presidential fight? First remember Obama expects, no demands, raising the debt ceiling with no negotiations or off setting spending cuts. For the House republicans that makes their job simple. A bill to extend the debt ceiling should have a first reading in committee tomorrow. It took 17 months to fully use the 2.1 trillion the debt ceiling was raised last time, so use that as a base line. Raise the debt ceiling another 2.1 trillion and specify 2.1 trillion in cuts that will occur over the same 17 months, not over decades by future Congress' that won't adhere to the deal.

In addition, add 600 billion in cuts to occur over the next 10 years to match the amount of revenue that will be raised by the tax increases of the fiscal cliff deal and was not in the final version. Send that bill to the Senate and the President with this note attached, "President Obama and Senator Reid, we pledge to honor by your no negotiation stance and submitted herewith is the House of Representative solution to extend the debt ceiling. We sincerely hope you won't be the reason the United States of America defaults." Then the House has to have the resolve to mean what they say.

Our country has a choice, a choice that won't last much longer, to either get our fiscal house in order or suffer the sever consequences. This country needs an intervention, tough love and I for one don't see the leadership either in the President or in Congress to do it. It's truly a shame; our great nation deserves better. Better won't happen until you and I demand it.