Post by jingyanxi116 on Dec 4, 2012 20:53:21 GMT -5
Walking Off the Cliff
The United States has experienced many financially turbulent periods in history, such as the Panic of 1837 and the Great Depression. Each time, it has been possible for the economy to recover, with the government able to function effectively to fix the problem. This time, however, the government has yet to come up with a solution to the most recent financial threat. The fiscal cliff has yet to be resolved, with many fearing that Democrats and Republicans will not reach an agreement by the deadline, which is midnight on December 31st. The consequences are drastic tax increases for many people, in order to raise revenue to reduce the debt. Unfortunately, one of the main factors in the inability of both parties to reach an agreement is the necessity to conform to the tyranny of their party ideology for self preservation, otherwise known as re-election.
In the current political climate, most voters vote Republican or Democrat; these two political parties have the most financial backing and public awareness out of all the parties that exist. Candidates from these two parties greatly benefit from these advantages. Usually, candidates from a certain political party are purported to have the same ideological views as their party, and many voters therefore vote based on party. In South Carolina, for example, nearly half of all the votes in the 2008 election were straight party ticket votes, where the voter votes for all of the Republican candidates or all of the Democratic candidates. Therefore, candidates today believe that it is in their best interests to stick with their party ideology, which will guarantee them a decent proportion of votes around election time. This compulsive alliance with the consensus is illustrated in the Crucible; those who went against the consensus in the town by refusing to confess to being witches were hanged and those who spoke the rhetoric of consensus by accusing others of witchcraft lived.
This oppressive belief has led to the stalemate in the debate today about the fiscal cliff. Neither Republicans nor Democrats are willing to take a step away from their party ideology and risk losing their position; the desire for self preservation is too overpowering. Democrats tend to favor tax increases on the wealthy, while Republicans strongly oppose such plans. For example, Democrat House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi announced that she would force an early tax-hike vote in the House of Representatives to try to break the deadlock unless Republican House Speaker John Boehner agreed to introduce a bill allowing taxes on the wealthy to rise, something that flies in the face of Republican ideology, and is highly unlikely to happen. Pelosi must know that Boehner would never agree to the bill, which reeks of Democratic ideology. Likewise, many House Republicans are refusing to back higher tax rates, preferring to raise revenue through tax reform, which is unlikely to be supported by Democrats. It is clear through the actions of both parties that both sides are playing it safe by espousing the rhetoric of their parties, which guarantees their own power, instead of truly trying to compromise, as they should be doing.
It does not seem as if either side will be able to come to the center any time soon. Backing down from their respective positions would be akin to political suicide, or refusing to confess to witchcraft. Eventually, Proctor and Rebecca Nurse’s silence led to the dissipation of the tyranny of consensus, but at the cost of their lives. Sadly, today’s politicians do not yet seem able to make the same sacrifice, at the expense of the financial stability of the United States.
Word Count: 602
Works Cited
Brown, Stephen Rex. "Democrats, Republicans take fiscal cliff battle to Sunday talk shows." Daily News. N.p., 2 Dec. 2012. Web. 4 Dec. 2012. <http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/pols-fiscal-cliff-battle-sunday-talk-shows-article-1.1211906>.
Felsenthal, Mark. "Fiscal Cliff Progress Suffers As Republicans, Democrats Remain Divided." Huffington Post. N.p., 30 Nov. 2012. Web. 4 Dec. 2012. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/01/fiscal-cliff-progress_n_2221917.html>.
Self, Jamie, and Adam Beam. "Straight-Party voters face a tangled ticket." Herald Online. N.p., 6 Oct. 2012. Web. 4 Dec. 2012. <http://www.heraldonline.com/2012/10/06/4318579/straight-party-voters-face-a-tangled.html>.
The United States has experienced many financially turbulent periods in history, such as the Panic of 1837 and the Great Depression. Each time, it has been possible for the economy to recover, with the government able to function effectively to fix the problem. This time, however, the government has yet to come up with a solution to the most recent financial threat. The fiscal cliff has yet to be resolved, with many fearing that Democrats and Republicans will not reach an agreement by the deadline, which is midnight on December 31st. The consequences are drastic tax increases for many people, in order to raise revenue to reduce the debt. Unfortunately, one of the main factors in the inability of both parties to reach an agreement is the necessity to conform to the tyranny of their party ideology for self preservation, otherwise known as re-election.
In the current political climate, most voters vote Republican or Democrat; these two political parties have the most financial backing and public awareness out of all the parties that exist. Candidates from these two parties greatly benefit from these advantages. Usually, candidates from a certain political party are purported to have the same ideological views as their party, and many voters therefore vote based on party. In South Carolina, for example, nearly half of all the votes in the 2008 election were straight party ticket votes, where the voter votes for all of the Republican candidates or all of the Democratic candidates. Therefore, candidates today believe that it is in their best interests to stick with their party ideology, which will guarantee them a decent proportion of votes around election time. This compulsive alliance with the consensus is illustrated in the Crucible; those who went against the consensus in the town by refusing to confess to being witches were hanged and those who spoke the rhetoric of consensus by accusing others of witchcraft lived.
This oppressive belief has led to the stalemate in the debate today about the fiscal cliff. Neither Republicans nor Democrats are willing to take a step away from their party ideology and risk losing their position; the desire for self preservation is too overpowering. Democrats tend to favor tax increases on the wealthy, while Republicans strongly oppose such plans. For example, Democrat House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi announced that she would force an early tax-hike vote in the House of Representatives to try to break the deadlock unless Republican House Speaker John Boehner agreed to introduce a bill allowing taxes on the wealthy to rise, something that flies in the face of Republican ideology, and is highly unlikely to happen. Pelosi must know that Boehner would never agree to the bill, which reeks of Democratic ideology. Likewise, many House Republicans are refusing to back higher tax rates, preferring to raise revenue through tax reform, which is unlikely to be supported by Democrats. It is clear through the actions of both parties that both sides are playing it safe by espousing the rhetoric of their parties, which guarantees their own power, instead of truly trying to compromise, as they should be doing.
It does not seem as if either side will be able to come to the center any time soon. Backing down from their respective positions would be akin to political suicide, or refusing to confess to witchcraft. Eventually, Proctor and Rebecca Nurse’s silence led to the dissipation of the tyranny of consensus, but at the cost of their lives. Sadly, today’s politicians do not yet seem able to make the same sacrifice, at the expense of the financial stability of the United States.
Word Count: 602
Works Cited
Brown, Stephen Rex. "Democrats, Republicans take fiscal cliff battle to Sunday talk shows." Daily News. N.p., 2 Dec. 2012. Web. 4 Dec. 2012. <http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/pols-fiscal-cliff-battle-sunday-talk-shows-article-1.1211906>.
Felsenthal, Mark. "Fiscal Cliff Progress Suffers As Republicans, Democrats Remain Divided." Huffington Post. N.p., 30 Nov. 2012. Web. 4 Dec. 2012. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/01/fiscal-cliff-progress_n_2221917.html>.
Self, Jamie, and Adam Beam. "Straight-Party voters face a tangled ticket." Herald Online. N.p., 6 Oct. 2012. Web. 4 Dec. 2012. <http://www.heraldonline.com/2012/10/06/4318579/straight-party-voters-face-a-tangled.html>.