Duh, sequestration (= Fiscal Cliff) was Obama’s idea.
For roughly two hundred-odd years....the Senate was capable of building a budget. For over three years now...the Senate, which enjoys a majority of Democrats and merely needs 51 to support a budget agreement, has been unable to build or manufacture any agreement, period. It’s like ten kids showing up at a baseball field against another group of kids, but then claiming they can’t play the other group because they don’t have enough players. Something is wrong here.
The entire budget process, the whole fiscal game...it all stopped when everyone in the Senate agreed not to put favorite ‘markers’ into the process and gift folks in their homestate. As long as they could go and pay back folks....the senators had a vested interest in finishing this whole thing up. I don’t think they care anymore.
I also think there’s no real reason to involve the Senate in this matter of the US budget. No one consults the House on international treaties...it’s strictly a Senate matter. No consults the House on selection of Supreme Court judges...it’s a senate-only matter. Perhaps we need to remove this tough item from Senate consideration...it’s not their function in life. Just let the budget be run by the House and the President.