In praise of simplicity

'Tis the gift to be simple,
'Tis the gift to be free...

- lyrics from "Simple Gifts," traditional Shaker folk song written and composed in 1848 by Elder Joseph Brackett

I'm writing from a coffee shop in Washington, D.C. this morning and my online news feed is full of discussions about this fiscal cliff mess: what the President is proposing, how the Republicans are reacting, whether there is any chance of a deal, how bad it will hurt our economy if we go off this fiscal cliff, whether it's even remotely possible to avoid it, and so on.

What frustrates me is that, as usual, the debate in this town misses the main point - neither side is taking any steps to address why we're in this mess in the first place.

Ain't that the truth!

Best depiction of the fiscal cliff negotiations I've seen so far:

Missing the point about the fiscal cliff

Taking a nice stroll off the fiscal cliff

Since the election, the news has turned to the ongoing negotiations regarding the so-called "fiscal cliff," and the potential compromises that the Republican-controlled House and the Democrat-controlled Senate may make.

There are many questions being debated on the editorial pages and talk radio programs and cable television news shows:

Will the Bush tax cuts be allowed to expire?

Will the Democrats' rhetoric demonizing all those "millionaires and billionaires" actually be persuasive in getting Republicans to sign on to tax increases?