It’s always something in this country. It seems we can’t
catch a break.
Instead of celebrating in the news that William and Kate are
expecting a new addition to the royal family, we Americans have to worry about
something that has been dubbed the “fiscal cliff.” Give me a break.
I was hoping in the aftermath of the election, that
Republicans and Democrats would come together and start solving this nation’s
problems the way things used to get solved back in the days of, well, Ronald
Reagan and Tip O’Neill.
Not to be.
I contend that most of the American people don’t understand
what the fiscal cliff is, nor do they much care, although they probably ought
to.
A little more than half of American voters supported
President Obama’s bid for re-election while a little less than half didn’t.
It’s unclear how many people actually hate him, but I think there is a lot who
do. Seriously, I see people grit their teeth when they talk about Obama and it’s
not just a mild dislike. It’s hate. It’s kind of the way hippies used to feel
about Richard Nixon in the early ’60s and ’70s.
In Dover, there’s a homeowner who has placed a white, plastic
chair on his curbstrip ala Clint Eastwood at the GOP convention. A sign next to
the chair urges voters to “Fire Obama!” The homeowner’s pickup truck declares
that “Obama S----.”
This is just down the street from a couple of
larger-than-life blow-up Santas and reindeer. At least some people have moved
on from the election.
Anyway, I think if we fall off the fiscal cliff both parties
will rush to the rescue and claim victories on both ends of the spectrum. We’ll
get some tax increases on the rich and some tax breaks for the middle class
while addressing the budget deficit in the meantime. We’ll avert recession in
the nick of time.
And we’ll wonder why the politicians couldn’t figure this
out a month ago.
***
As a followup to last week’s commentary, three parochial
schools – Cincinnati Moeller, Toledo Central Catholic and Akron St. Vincent-St.
Mary -- in Divisions I, II and III won state football championships over public
schools.
Public schools earned championships in the three smaller
divisions.
***
Question of the week: Why is it we can safely bank online,
buy goods and services online, apply for Social Security online and buy
prescription drugs online, but we can’t vote online?
Why hasn’t someone figured out how to do that? It doesn’t
seem to me to be that difficult a problem. I mean we went to the moon, didn’t
we?
And forcing people to cast an early vote at the Tuscarawas
County Courthouse is rather silly when one takes into account that there is
absolutely nowhere to park and which requires a sheriff deputy to be on duty to
shoo away people who might stick their cars where they don’t belong.
***
If you need evidence that the evening network news programs
are dinosaurs, just watch their commercials. They are nearly all ads aimed at
older Americans who have all sorts of health issues who could have even more
issues if they don’t read the small print on the drugs they are being urged to
buy.
Read more from Dick Farrell at TuscBargainHunter.com.
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