Republicans Need to Be Reasonable on Fiscal Cliff Talks

As portions of the Republican Party splits over how to tackle fiscal cliff negotiations, Yahoo News asked GOP voters to weigh in: Which camp in the party do they support? Here's one perspective.

COMMENTARY | The fiscal cliff talks are not going swimmingly. The president and fellow Democrats are asking for more wealthy Americans to pay taxes to reduce the deficit over a short period of time. The Republicans, led by John Boehner, have proposed a more moderate plan, reducing the deficit over a longer period of time and preventing as many tax hikes against more wealthy Americans.

Both Democrats and Republicans make convincing points, but it's the Democrats who too frequently want to penalize the rich for success. While a distribution of wealth is important, it isn't quite fair for hard work to be overwhelmed by the government's invisible hand.

Boehner's proposal is sound, calling for $800 billion in reduced deficit by tax reform and eliminating some tax loopholes. It is a solid compromise that needs to be rallied around by the entire Republican Party. Republican Leader Mitch McConnell wasn't completely in favor of the plan but at least said, "I commend the House Republican leadership for trying to move the process along and getting to a point where, hopefully, we can have a real discussion." That is the key to the entire Republican Party, agreeing on major issues. The conservatives and the moderates need to come together to get behind some kind of compromise that will bridge the gap between Republicans and Democrats. Without any agreement, stalling will only make the country's financial troubles greater.

Jared Feldman, San Anselmo, Calif.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/republicans-reasonable-fiscal-cliff-talks-233100843.html

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