I Admit It -- I Am Guilty Too

Trey Smith

Most people I talked to over Thanksgiving apparently think the “fiscal cliff” is the government runs out of money on December 31 because the deficit is so big and all kinds of terrible things happen on January 1. This is sort of the opposite of what is going on. Even the few who didn’t think it was about the country running out of money were misinformed in one way or another, with most thinking something terrible happens January 1.

The “fiscal cliff” is about taxes going up and budget cuts, which reduce the deficit. And absolutely nothing in anyone’s life will change on January 1, or for some time (weeks, months) after.

That’s right, all the people who were hysterically screaming about the deficit are hysterically screaming now because of deficit cuts. Go figure. But the reason is that they have an agenda.
~ from Saying "Fiscal Cliff" Is Taking Sides by Dave Johnson ~

Though I have tended to supply the qualifier, "supposed", to the mention of the fiscal cliff, I will admit that I am guilty of Johnson's charge. Too often, writers of all ilks get a bit lazy and utilize popular terms as a convenience. We do it because it saves time and space. Who wants to have to explain certain situations every time one is referenced?

The mainstream media and elites count on this kind of mindless laziness. They introduce some sort of Orwellian term and, before you know, it becomes a part of the lexicon. This happens because supporters and foes alike keep saying and writing it ad nauseam. It gets repeated so often that it turns into a self-evident "truth," even when there's not one damn true thing about it!!

So, I will make every effort not to use the term "fiscal cliff" in future posts. As Johnson points out, there is no cliff -- only a slope.