Comments on: The fiscal cliff showed America is a country addicted to crisis

By: borisjimbo

borisjimbo — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 06:17:19 +0000

Let’s be clear here. It’s not the country that’s addicted to crisis, it’s the GOP since it’s the last way they have of influencing public policy, holding the country hostage.

By: JL4

JL4 — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 18:55:08 +0000

I’ve read other articles where Republicans are quoted as stating outright that the next hurdle – the debt-ceiling – is where, they promise, the fight will be even bloodier than the fiscal-cliff deal. And then when it IS, am I to be blamed for negativity about Congress? Really?

Ask yourself, if Congress were consistently and competently doing their jobs, would we have so much angst with each deadline we face?

By: thinkb4its2late

thinkb4its2late — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 15:44:35 +0000

It’s indicative of poor managers that they can only function when in ‘crisis’ mode. Time and again they wait until the last minute to do their job, and then get the thrill of running around on adrenaline to make themselves seem inordinately more important than they are. Sorry, don’t even have time to look at the Sandy relief bill because of the fiscal cliff. Never mind that we’ve had months to work on both. Why quietly do our jobs when we get so much more media attention (this may be the real addiction here) when we wait until it’s almost to late. If it weren’t for the fact that the issues are so serious, Congress would be a wonderful vaudeville show.

By: micomplexblog

micomplexblog — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 10:03:46 +0000

It would seem what you are arguing for is some perspective. That suggests the need for a positive against which to judge the scale of the negative.

Perhaps it is the case that genuine endeavours – ambition to create – that go beyond tax incentives and marginal socio-economic improvements are what really counter malaise and introspection.

It’s rather like being underemployed and sitting on the couch (take it from me). The longer you sit there the worse things look, but do some thing to actively change your fortunes (no matter how mad-cap) and suddenly the struggle seems manageable.

Democracies are sustained by collective action – that is what they are – stop muddling scale with ambition. America (just like all democracies) needs an ambition for itself beyond rising economic growth (the job of corporations) to bring perspective to the day to day grind of government.

The industrialisation of the second world war and the scientific exertion of the space race set of private enterprise explosions that the rest of the world still hasn’t caught up with. It’s time for America to find itself something TO DO.

By: singsuntool

singsuntool — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 04:28:24 +0000

This new year, I wish US economy keep booming, and conquer finance crisis, then our Garden pruners,Loppers,Hedge shears,Garden hand tools,Garden watering can,Garden bag,Plastic flower pot, which can be sold in US super market.

By: possibilianP

possibilianP — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 22:21:15 +0000

…otherwise known as “Divide and Conquer”. And we are the suckers who allowed ourselves to be intentionally divided.

By: possibilianP

possibilianP — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 22:19:59 +0000

So we are addicted to crisis, huh? How about this instead: Our government is addicted to corporate political money, and our population is addicted to corporate funded propaganda in the form of advertising and outright political lies. Why would corporations (and the very rich I might add – like the Kochs) do this? Because if you get everyone fighting at the bottom level, they won’t look up and see who is defecating on them.

By: americanguy

americanguy — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 21:34:00 +0000

Yep. Have to agree with you Zach. The media loves to promote a crisis real or not, and most Americans just eat it up like pigs eat slop,and then spread it like the flu. The media can take the best event in the world, and put a negative doomsday spin on it somehow. If Jesus Christ were to come down from the skies and eliminate all sickness and suffering, the media would put a negative spin on it. REM’s song “Bad Day” mocked the media perfectly.
But it’s nothing new, just faster reaction due to the internet, tweety birds, etc.