The Visual

"Let it go over a cliff, die completely, and then come back to life... after that you cannot be deceived."

~Zen Proverb

A couple days ago I wrote a slightly humorous post about the hazards of making fun of an otherwise serious situation. In that particular case it was a matter of getting the song, Disco Duck, hopelessly stuck in my head, as I changed some of the words to fit the current showdown over the fiscal goings on in Washington D.C. . At that time I was poking fun of the situation because in truth there is very little I can do to help the negotiations. I did my part last November, but it doesn't seem like it was any help, at least not to any real degree.

A lot of damage is poised to take place, if no settlement is reached.

Most of which could have been avoided.

Mumphf.

There is nothing I can do. I am one person. But apparently my one vote and those who also joined me on election day together don't make that much of a difference.

Voting, it seems, really doesn't matter all that much anymore.

If it ever did.

The other day, with the post about the music in my head, I was poking fun at the thing that worries me. Don't get me wrong, Alan and I will be fine, but it's families, once again, that will be working harder and harder, and seeing less for it. It will be hard on those who remain on unemployment through no fault of their own, and then comes those who depend on Social Security and Medicare who will face even more uncertainty about what their quality of life will be.

It's hard to understand.

And yet, I think all the ones doing the negotiating have long since forgotten, or never knew in the first place, what it feels like to struggle to keep food on the table, or lights on, or clothe a child, or help an elderly loved one stay safe, warm, and in good health.

When I think about America falling off the "fiscal cliff" I don't laugh. I see a steep cliff, with a fence that isn't really strong, but working as a last barrier all the same. And I am thankful for that small fence, because what lies below are jagged rocks, deep cold water, and unless you know how to tread water, you know that when you hit that cold water, all that's left is your own eventual drowning.

When Washington thinks of the fiscal cliff, I think they see piles and piles of money, and falling off that cliff doesn't mean they will drown, it means they won't be able to keep climbing that green hill of endless money. They will be able to clothe their children, feed their families and take care of their elderly. Greed is good. Right?


~Me