This issue is not just an Amerikan issue ... In case you haven't noticed ... all the countries of Western World are about to fall off the Fiscal Cliff, in fact some are falling already ... our economic system has failed, exhausted itself ... it just doesn't work in the Brave New World of the 21st century.
As to politiks and falling off the cliff ... this just reflects the confusion of society as a whole ... struggling to find/apply a 19th century solution for a 21st century issue.
In some ways I hope we fall off the Fiscal Cliff soon ... as this will wake us up and kick start us into working on a new 'way of life'.