Get government spending in line before we walk off the fiscal cliff literally. Everyday a foreign government gets their debt rating downgraded. Governments like Greece, Ireland, and Spain are already toying with the world's markets. Rumors are France and Italy are not far behind. If those fall then the world economy will be hurting. If we let the United States fall, the world economy will never recover. Stop the madness and stop passing our debts on future generations.

Are you tired of hearing the media discuss the Fiscal Cliff negotiations with "no specifics" from the politicians involved? Do you want to find out what our elected officials are really fighting over when it comes to this so-called economic disaster? Overall, would you like to be able to sit in during these negotiations so we know who is fighting for whom, and who is being stubborn and who is being reasonable?

To help reduce the income gap between the richest and the poorest Americans, impose an excess profits tax to induce corporations (and related subsidiaries, branches, sister companies) and similar organisations, to reduce the gap in the incomes of their own employees through a special 100% corporate tax upon the portion of income over $250,000 received from corporations etc by any one of their employees, when such portion exceeds 100 times the income received from such corporations by their lowest paid employee." Example: if a full- or part time employee, say, an executive, receives income from his/her corporate employer of more than $250'000 per year and the amount over $250,000, annualised, does not exceed 100 times the income, annualised, received by the corporation's lowest paid employee, the tax does not apply. If the amount exceeds 100 times the income received by the lowest paid employee for the same fiscal year, then an "excess-profits" tax is levied on any corporation which has received a US bailout since 2002, equal to 100% of the excess over $250,000 received by the executive. Thus, if an executive receives as compensation, say, $1,000,000 annualised (i.e. for part time or full time work) and the lowest paid employee receives, say, $6,000 annualised (full or part time), then the tax on the corporation will be $750.000. If the low paid employee receives $8,000 annualised, there is no tax. In a company where the gap between richest and poorest paid is very large, say the executive is paid $15 million and the lowest paid employee is paid $120,000, the tax would be $13,750,000. I have not tested the formula for any but the examples shown. I would not be personally affected by such a law. Those primarily affected would be multimillionnaires earning a very large multiple of what their employees are paid.

Rep. Steve Southerland must drop the Norquist anti-tax pledge and allow the Bush tax cuts for the top 2% to come to an end.

Over 67% of Americans oppose raising the age of Medicare and over 60% support raising taxes on the higher income earners according to the most recent ABC News/Washington Post Poll: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/11/among-cliff-avoidance-options-most-favor-targeting-the-wealthy/ Yet, members of Congress are acting like they just do not have a choice but to cut programs that we the people have been paying our own tax dollars for, even though we are absolutely entitled to get exactly what we have been told that these tax dollars were going towards. However, it turns out that we actually CAN protect medicare, medicaid, social security, as well as strengthen education all while avoiding the "fiscal cliff" if we make the top 2% pay their fair share and we eliminate spending on things like corporate welfare for oil, gas, and coal companies. The House Representative member, Raul Grijalva, and other members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus have created "The Budget for All" plan, which does exactly that. Yet, no one seems to be talking about it in the media nor are most Americans even aware of its existence: http://grijalva.house.gov/uploads/Executive%20Summary%20FINAL.pdf Please tell members of congress and Barack Obama that this is exactly what the MAJORITY of the people of the United States want to be on the table for discussions when they try to decide what to do about the fiscal cliff that is coming up very soon. Tell them to quit their political posturing and to support Raul Grijalva's "The Budget for All" plan!

The class warfare did not start with President Obama. The divide between the wealthy and the average worker has been increasing for decades and it was ramped-up during the Bush Administration. During the Bush years, the U.S. implemented tax cuts that disproportionately helped the wealthiest amongst us. Now is the time to stop the re-distribution of money toward the wealthiest and go back to a more progressive tax structure.

This issue has to do with protecting Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid and ending the deficits caused in large part by the Bush Tax Cuts for the wealthy. All these protections are good for the economy. Deficits have nothing to do with Social Security. Social Security is paid into by employees and employers. Deficits are caused by revenue shortfalls.

Congress is once again trying to stop progress in this country. Representative Lamar Smith has signed the "no taxes" pledge put out by Grover Norquist. He represents the 21st District of Texas, not Grover Norquist. He must relinquish the pledge and negotiate in good faith with our President.

The Poor have had to care the Rich on their backs long enough. The Rich need to Pay Taxes just like the Poor do.

All suffering is not created equal. And to suggest that if the wealthiest among us—those households with incomes over $250,000/year, but what we’re really talking about are the millionaires and beyond—are to suffer, then also must the most disadvantaged among us: seniors must be forced to choose between food and medicine, kids with chronic disabilities are to be denied medical care… well, that is just wrong.

MEDICAID, MEDICARE, and SOCIAL SECURITY did not cause the deficit and should not be part of the "fiscal cliff" negotiations. The poor and the middle class should not have their safety nets and health care slashed because of the excesses of previous administrations and the greed of Wall Street. There are many ways to decrease the deficit without hurting the poor and the middle class. Congress needs to do the right thing; let the tax cuts on the top 2% expire. Preserve the tax cuts for the 98%. Deal with other budget issues after January 1. The deficit must be addressed in a careful, thoughtful way that doesn't hurt the majority of Americans who can LEAST afford cuts in benefits and higher taxes. We urge Rep. King to reconsider his previous position of opposing the expiration of the Bush tax cuts for the top 2%.

The normal person in America cannot take a hit with more taxes. We want you to do your jobs Congress! There is not one good reason the middle income or the poor should be hit while not asking the highest incomes to do their fair share.