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All the Speaker has to do is put forth a bill the Democrats and moderate Republicans will vote for. It's a done deal then. He will lose the speakership for this, but he would be a patriot.

Let's go over the cliff. It will mean tax increases of 11% on the wealthy and 4.4% on middle class. We have to pay the bills and this gets the wealthy paying their fair share. Then.... lower middle income rates in the next session. That gives everyone a year to adjust, assuming the payroll tax reduction is gone.

I would not back down an inch on the $400,000.00 offer that Obama has made. When I was making 6 figures, I was just glad to have the ability to pay my share.

This can't be that tough! Split the difference and raise taxes on anyone earning 500K/yr plus. I'd also raise the capital gains tax rate on muli million dollar hedge fund type investors and not on some guy with 250k or less in the stock market. Then make honest real cuts to defense, health & human services and the DC bureacracy in general. The DEMs have to stop claiming BS cuts like "we cut the proposed increase"!

It's time to go over the cliff, get rid of all of these "temporary" adjustments and start fresh.

Dems have already made concessions their base doesn't like. If the R's can't even agree to the silly Plan B, the only possible deal will be to kick the can down the road again in hopes the next congress will be a little more sane. Not much better than just going over the fiscal bump.

"The president also said Congress should extend jobless benefits for about 2 million people." This is rapidly becoming a new type of U.S. welfare.

chablis28: I agreed with your entire comment right up to the last line, and then you lost me. Please explain.

Finally, the fiscal cliff cuts were put in place, because that is where the cuts NEEDED to be made. Compromise, and watch these proposed cuts vanish as we kick the can down the road. Someone posted the best comment when it was said to let the fall from the cliff happen, and then come back and see what is necessary. One thing that is so totally bloated in the defense budget and probably the main reason why I didn't and won't ever vote republican again. Simply, expanding it, is wrong. We need to eliminate most of the military bases around the world, and cut the defense budget to a reasonable amount before we start in on medicare and social security.

barefootpaul you state that"Dems have already made concessions their base doesn't like." For the record what coneccions? One thing I can say about Liberals is that they can't get there facts together. Where is Obama? Oh that is right he is is saying Aloha from Hawaii.