This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
I read with dismay in "Utah delegation has a plan to avert fiscal cliff: delay" (Tribune, Nov. 16) that Utah's congressional delegation has a plan to avert the "fiscal cliff" — kick the problem into 2013.
House Speaker John Boehner says 2013 should be the year we "begin" to solve our debt problem. Begin? Seriously? Only someone in Congress could call that a "plan."
No, ladies and gentlemen, 2012 is the year we should solve this problem. Congress does do not need more time. It has known about this deadline for 18 months.
The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior, and if Congress puts off this unpleasant task, it won't deal with it in the next 18 months, either.
Now, this is the plan: Cancel your vacations for the next six weeks. It has been months since you have done any real work. Forget about pretend crises (like sexual affairs); deal with our real crisis.
Come in early. Stay late. Work weekends. Grow a spine. Employ your brains. Make hard choices. Compromise. Raise taxes and cut expenses. Solve the problem. Stop kicking this down the road. Do your job!
We Americans are a tough and practical lot. We know we are in a mess. We know no one will get everything. God help us, we have to depend on Congress to make those choices. Just do it!
Fred J. Hightower
Salt Lake City