What is This "Fiscal Cliff" All About?

Ok, so we have succeeded in putting Barak Obama back into office but what do we do now.  Do we just sit back and wait for him to fix things.  Well, no, not exactly.  We will soon be called upon again to let our voices be heard in order to elect the people that will help Obama get the policies in effect that he feels will help our nation get back on track.  So what is the issue that everyone is concered with now.....that would be the "fiscal cliff"

What is a "fiscal cliff"?  Well, to simplify it, it is simply the point at which the Bush tax cuts expire and taxes go up for every single person in America.  Yes, that means you!! When these tax cuts expire, experts are concerned that it could cause us to go into another recession. So what do we do about this.  This would be a bad thing for everyone, rich and poor.  You would think that Washington would be able to come up with something to prevent this from happening.  Afterall, January 1st is right around the corner.  Well, that is the problem, conservatist and liberals just cannot seem to come to a compromise. 

Liberals aka Democrats
They want to first and foremost extend the Bush tax cuts to the middle class (which is anyone who makes less than $200,000 a year) right away.  In the meantime they will continue negotiations on what the tax reform will look like for the wealthiest Americans.  Ideally, liberals would like for there to be a tax increase of 35% to 39% for wealthy Americans in order to pay down the deficit and prevent potential recession. 

Conservatives aka Republicans
They are in now way happy with a tax increase of 35% to 39% but will be okay with "tax reform". In other words they would not mind closing tax "loop holes".  What exactly those loop holes are and how much will it help with paying down our deficit or preventing a recession....who knows?  As for extending the tax cuts for those americans that make less than $200,000 a year, Conservatives are not ready to put anything into action just yet. 

So that is where we stand in a nutshell.  Really we have not gotten anywhere and the days are falling away to when we will hit that fiscal cliff.  President Obama made a statement today and in jist he says that students, seniors and middle class (basically those Americans that are struggling the most financially) should not be expected tp pay down the deficit while wealthy Americans basically sit back and watch us do it.  I don't know about you but I agree 100%.  So what can we do about it?  Well, right now all we can do is pray that they can come to some sort of compromise and be ready to show up to the polls again when it is time to elect new officials who will be more willing to work with our President to get things done. 

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Huff Post WASHINGTON -- Republicans across the country were shellshocked as President Barack Obama defeated Mitt Romney in Tuesday’s presidential election, finishing the race with 332 electoral votes and winning every battleground state except for North Carolina. The blame game began almost immediately, as Republicans looked to determine how a vulnerable incumbent like Obama had found a pathway .....continue reading full story.

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Obama and Boehner Take on Taxes

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Mission Statement

This recent re-election of our President, Barak Obama, has left me excited as well as concerned.  Excited because I am impressed with the turn out of support for a President that is obviously able to relate to the diverse culture of this country.  A President who can relate to the daily discrimination that the minorities (who are soon to become the majority) of this nation face due to race, gender or sexual orientation because he himself has faced this same issues even during his Presidency.  I am excited because we as a people of "demographics", as we have be referred to by conservatives, are finally starting to realize how important our voice is and that we actually can affect change in our Nation.  I am excited because I believe that I will be dissappointed by responses of "my vote doesn't count" or "my opinion doesn't matter" when I ask one of my homeboys or homegirls if they plan on voting.  It is becoming clear to the politicians in Washington that the issues that matter the most to us can no longer be ignored or disreguarded if you truly expect to win the priveledge of leading a nation of "demographics".

What concerns me is the possibility that the level of enthusiasm that was experience during this election will die down simply because we feel that our job has been done.  I wonder what the turn-out will be like in the next for years when it is time to elect a new leader of this free nation.  Will we still show the same level of support and concern for what is going on in our country when there is "peoples champ" to elect.  When we are back to choosing the lesser of two evils, what will be our motivation then?  Will we return to the mind frame that our opinions don't matter right along with our votes?  I truly hope not.

So I simply ask myself this question.  What can I do to make sure the we continue with this momentum?  What can I do to keep my people actively involved in politics and the issues that concern us the most?  What can I do to continually remind everyone that the battle is not over, it has only just befun and we must continue to ensure that our voices are heard. The only answer that I can come up with is to find a way to keep us informed with what is going on in Washington and what the politicians are doing or planning on doing that will affect us.

In order to keep us informed I must myself  become more informed and educated on what is going on in the world of politics.  Lord knows that I would normally avoid politics like the plague.  I do not find pleasure in watching to opossing sides argue over issues with no comprise in sight.  I also used to subscribe to the theory that there was nothing that I could do about what is going on in our nation.  I obviously no longer feel that way.  Also, I must be honest, I tend to have a hard time following what the CNN anchor or political analyst are talking about, at some point they always lose me.  Then it hits me, my "aha moment" as Oprah would say. 

I am going to make it my mission to to not only become more familiar with the world of politics but also relay this news and information in a more "use friendly" way.  A way that will make it easier for the everyday Joe or Tyrone to understand.  I will make it my mission to to keep us informed of the issues at hand and what we can do to make a change. When we know better we do better.  We made our voices heard, we have showed the Nation that our votes count but the job is not over.  As long as we can call ourselves American citzens our job will never be over. 

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