The Issue: House Speaker John Boehner’s attempts to negotiate with Democrats on spending and taxes.
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With GOP opposition to House Speaker John Boehner’s “Plan B,” Republicans have shown they have no interest in avoiding the fiscal cliff (“A GOP Implosion,” John Podhoretz, PostOpinion, Dec. 21).
Republicans would rather see this country crumble than do anything to avoid the fiscal cliff.
Boehner should no longer be speaker of the House.E. Drossman
Manhattan
Boehner should stick to raising taxes on those making over $1 million and not one dime less.
He should explain to those hard-working Americans who work for small businesses that he is trying to protect their jobs.
Let Obama and the Democrats say no and raise taxes on people making less than $1 million.
When small businesses begin to get taxed and start laying off workers, they will get the blame.
Dems wouldn’t raise taxes on the rich when they had full control of the White House and Congress for two years, and they won’t do it now. They are the party of the rich. Dan Galvin
Port St. Lucie, Fla.
As usual, the president blames someone else.
This “me, myself and I” attitude is not very becoming.
Many times we hear “The buck stops here,” but when asked specific questions, the response is grating.
It seems everything about the fiscal cliff is the GOP’s fault.
No wonder the American people have zero confidence in Congress.
Its only goals are the “perks” and the next vote. No one can believe Congress’ empty promises anymore.Sam King
Manhattan
Obama was re-elected with only 51 percent of the vote. Democrats claim that this narrow victory gives them carte blanche to raise tax rates, a contention being handled by Boehner from a position of weakness.
Boehner is doing the best he can to stave off a lurch over the fiscal cliff by proposing that increased rates only apply to those earning a million dollars a year or more. For his trouble, he is taking arrows from both sides.
It appears that the virus of unreasonableness has infected both parties. Perhaps a crash at the foot of the cliff will spark a reconsideration and genuine compromise. Paul Bloustein
Cincinnati
The president must not give in to Boehner’s demands. He must not yield to the party that has been fooled into backing the 1 percent’s war on the poor.
Conservative Republicans created our economic problems with their wacky free-market, trickle-down ideas.
They are responsible for the 2008 Wall Street collapse and the fiscal cliff.
The elderly, the poor and the middle class should not be asked to pay. They fell off that cliff 10 years ago, while the 1 percent has grown richer and richer.
Donald Wood
Neptune, NJ
When are the Republicans going to straighten up, articulate and balance the power of the federal government and shine the headlights on this “highway or my way” president?
Obama is spending and pushing this country to a fiscal cliff. He’s bringing a certain, slow, agonizing death to the younger generation.
The Middle East, Europe and Asia are watching. Surely, the Russians couldn’t contain their glee when Moody downgraded America’s credit rating again.
We are to be blamed for the economic terrorism that is unfolding in Congress if Republicans cannot get on top of this divide-and-conquer administration.Roger Ho
Staten Island
It should come as no surprise that the first concession the Democrats are willing to make to avoid the fiscal cliff is to reduce Social Security benefits for seniors.
One has to look no further than ObamaCare, which clearly puts the elderly at risk by complicating access to many life-saving services.
When all is said and done, the Greatest Generation has now become the Unwanted Generation.Dan Clemens
Marlboro, NJ