Opinion:The fiscal cliff and theater of the absurd

While earning my B.A. at SUNY Albany, I learned that Theatre of the Absurd is a style of Drama, which expresses the belief that human existence is meaningless, and, therefore, all communication breaks down. Logical plot construction and argument gives way to irrational and illogical speech and actions and an ultimate conclusion, which is silence.

Like Theatre of the Absurd, both side’s actions in the fiscal cliff debate defies all logic. Communication is breaking down and is primed to give way to the silence of the Republican Party and maybe for good. Allow me to explain:

A tax increase is a tax increase: I don’t know anyone who will walk into an auto dealership and proclaim, I want to buy a new car...and I demand to pay the sticker price! But that’s how the GOP began negotiations. The day after the election, Speaker Boehner announced he would give in to raising taxes on the successful. He doesn’t want to raise the actual rates but wants to close loopholes (which will have the same effect). It might look prettier to some in his party, but it’s still a tax increase.

A tax increase is NOT a tax increase: Last year, the President called for closing loopholes to increase revenue from the rich. At the time, he said it would raise $1.1 trillion dollars (the GOP plan claims to raise only $800 billion this way). Today, Obama is saying he will veto any bill that does not increase the actual percentage of taxes paid by the wealthy (families making more than $250,000). Rejecting the idea he put forth last year indicates that he doesn’t really care about raising revenue, he simply wishes to punish the GOP.

SHHHH, It’s not just the rich: Former DNC Chair, Governor John Dean said last week that it will not be just the rich who will be taxed, everybody needs to pay higher taxes.

A tax increase doesn’t help: Our annual deficit is over a trillion dollars. Our national public debt is over $16 trillion dollars. Both the President’s and the GOP’s versions of the tax increase will raise approximately $80 billion a year for 10 years. The CBO projects the debt will be almost $25 trillion in ten years. The total $800 billion raised will cut only 3% of the debt (and then only if it is applied to the debt).

But he wants more spending: The Obama plan eliminates the Bush tax cuts (now a decade old) plus he wants another $800 billion for a total of a $1.6 trillion tax increase, and then he wants to spend most of it. According to Pete Sessions, with the increased spending, the deficit will cut only $400 billion from the increase in debt.

“If we end up with $1.6 trillion in tax increases over 10 years, we can expect that the [10-year] deficit would go up $8.6 trillion, instead of [the] $9 trillion” expected under the current 10-year plan.”

So the Obama plan doesn’t cut spending it only slows down the increase.

But you said.....? Last year the President said we should not raise taxes because the economy was slow. The economy is still slow but now he has changed his mind.

The Republican Civil War: What is it with John Boehner? At a time where he will need every vote, he purges the ranks, takes away people’s committee chairmanships. It had been reported that they were purged because of their conservative philosophy, but a congressional source of mine reports they were purged because they were difficult to work with. What is he going to do when he needs those votes to pass a bill?

Why Won’t Boehner Kill Obamacare? It’s nice that the GOP keeps passing bills to repeal Obamacare, but the Democrats will not pass such a bill and the President will never sign it. According to the constitution, it is the House that controls spending. If Boehner really wants to kill Obamacare, he can refuse to fund it. It’s like what the good witch says at the end of the Wizard of Oz, “You’ve always had the power to go back to Kansas.” Well Mr. Speaker, you have always had the power to kill Obamacare. Many of the fiscal cliff tax increases we will face in 2013 have nothing to do with the Bush tax cuts, they were passed as part of Obamacare and will hurt people of all income brackets. Those tax increases are scheduled to take place no matter what happens with the Bush tax cuts. Yet no one is talking about those taxes.

Why Won’t Boehner Cut Spending? (see above)..Well then, why won’t the GOP congressmen cut spending? Constitutionally, they can block appropriations for almost anything except for interest payments on the debt and payment/benefits to federal workers once the work has been done (but they can cut future payments causing layoffs).

The Let it Burn Option? Many conservatives, including some of those in Congress, suggest they should pass the tax increase. Some even say to give Obama his entire plan. They suggest that GOP members should vote present and allow it to pass with only Democratic Party votes so their hands will be clean when the economy burns. The problem with this option is their constitutional fiduciary responsibilities. There is a reason the House received the power of the purse. They are supposed to be the part of the national government that is closest to the people (they need to submit to their electoral will every other year). Many of those Republicans in the House were elected precisely because their districts wanted them to blunt federal spending...the “let it burn” option ignores the representatives’ obligations to their districts.

Coming in January--The Debt Ceiling Debate: Here’s the “fun” part. Even if the parties agree on a tax hike, once the new Congress gets seated, the debate will turn to raising the debt ceiling. We will be going through the same thing all over again.

America is about to go over a “fiscal” cliff. It will not be caused by lack of revenue, but by too much spending. Our economy is being crushed by the debt, and the new taxes scheduled to begin in January 2013, will slow down the economy and increase the debt.

Theater of the Absurd shows how irrational and illogical speech and actions will lead to an ultimate conclusion---silence. The major players in this fiscal cliff argument are “playing” an absurd game. The President’s claims are irrational lies. And by acting like a politician instead of a patriot the Speaker of the House is acting irrationally; not doing the things he has the power to do like reduce spending and cutting the legs out from under his potential allies.

Will we be going over the cliff? As of this writing, the two sides are no closer to a deal than they were three weeks ago, but deals like this usually happen last minute. If you turn on the news this Sunday, and don’t hear that the parties are close to a solution, I would recommend fastening your seat belts because, just like Thelma and Louise, we will be driving off the cliff. And that, more than anything, will be absurd.

Jeff Dunetz is the Editor/Publisher of the political blog “The Lid” (www.jeffdunetz.com). Jeff contributes to some of the largest political sites on the internet including American Thinker, Big Government, Big Journalism, NewsReal and Pajama’s Media, and has been a guest on national radio shows including G. Gordon Liddy, Tammy Bruce and Glenn Beck. Jeff lives in Long Island.