Heads I Win, Tails You Lose.

Hey, I'd like to talk about a less controversial subject. I'd like to, but I'm not going to. No, I want to talk about the blackmail going on in Washington right now. Here's a little background. In 2001 President Bush pushed through a big and irresponsible tax cut for everyone. The Republicans wanted it only for the rich, but couldn't pull that off, so the made it for everyone. They still couldn't pull it off, so they made it temporary. It ends 12-31-2010. President Obama and the Democrats would like to extend it for 98% of the people, but not for the richest. The Republicans want it for the richest. It can't get done without the Republicans. If it gets done, it will increase our deficit by $700 billion. The Republicans have decided that they will not compromise and they will not allow any other legislation to pass. That means the country could default. But the Republicans believe that President Obama and the Democrats will give in and allow the tax break for the rich. Now, the question is, do you think the Republicans would actually allow the country to default and wind up in bankruptcy and allow the government to shut down? Or do you think they would give in? If you checked with Los Vegas, the would give odds that the Republicans will win. Probably two to one. The thing is, if Obama gives in, he might as well just pack up and move out so the Republicans can move somebody into the White House next week. That's because they'll own him anyway. They'll know he can be scared into doing whatever they want him to do. The other problem is that other countries would then begin to think they can push him around too. Do we really want to be the target for every bully in the world? So, now, what would happen if the President said no to the Republicans? Well, one of two things. Either the country would go out of business soon or a little bit later. See, if these tax cuts get extended for everyone, we won't be able to overcome the increased indebtedness and soon we we wouldn't be able to borrow money even from China. Then we'd have to just print money with no value. Eventually you'd need a wheel-barrow full of money to buy a loaf of bread. If the Republicans backed down, we'd still have a lot of debt, but at least we'd be able to begin paying that down. This is a simple case of a winner and a loser. Either the Republicans win or the Democrats win. (A) you lose, (B) you win. It's not always so clearly divided. Just remember, we need to have at least two parties.