The Fiscal Cliff: Its Impact on You

You can figure out how much Congress' failure to act will impact you financially.

You can't click on a news website, watch CNBC or read the Atlanta Business Chronicle without seeing something about the so-called "fiscal cliff." Should Congress and the Obama Administration not hammer out an agreement on federal spending and taxes, a $600 billion monkey on the back of the American economy in the form of tax-relief expirations and automatic spending cuts to things like defense spending takes effect Jan. 1. If that happens, it's going to hit us directly as consumers in our wallets. Bankrate.com, a consumer banking and finance website, created an easy calculator to help folks figure out just what kind of effect going over the fiscal cliff will have on individual incomes. For example, someone who earns $60,000 a year, claims …

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Patch Voices

The empty chair at the fiscal bargaining table: American Energy

The pathway to economic freedom is the maximization of America's energy resources.

by Adam Waldeck As the political class and talking heads in Washington argue back and forth over whether or not to raise taxes to avert the “fiscal cliff,” we may be missing the larger point. As we look for a long-term solution to our country’s long-running recession, policy makers in Washington would do well to understand that there is no surer path to prosperity, now and for years to come, than by maximizing the development of American energy. This is true for both Georgia and the United States as a whole. Leave aside the rest of the energy portfolio, and just think about oil and gas for a moment. Due to recent technological advances in production, the International Energy Agency says the United States is set to become a net exporter of …

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