Just shut up.
Not you, dear reader. This salutation is directed at the loudmouths in Congress, the ones whose abrasive, abusive blustering hinders economic recovery and prevents constructive action on almost everything.
They drive down approval of Congress to historic lows.
The compromise passed to prevent tax increases for the vast majority of Americans and at least delay draconian sequester cuts that would threaten a new recession wasn't perfect. Many on the far left and the far right were unhappy, a sign of a pretty good compromise.
The stock market responded with enthusiasm to the reprieve from a fiscal-cliff fall. Business, pleased with certainty on tax rates and avoidance of going over the cliff and into recession, could finally plan to hire and expand.
With passage, however, the loudmouths would not shut up.
Sure, it's reasonable to express disappointment about things not in the bill and urge negotiations on dealing with other fiscal problems.
Reasonable people, however, also could hail that Congress had at least and at last shown the ability to reach a significant bipartisan agreement, preventing harm to the nation and giving a measure of confidence to help spur the recovering economy.
But congressional loudmouths, with the usual angry and threatening tone, denounced the bill that averted disaster as though it were a disaster. They seemingly seek to drive the stock market back down with threats of refusing to pay the nation's bills for what Congress has already bought.
Playing political games with the debt ceiling led to lowering of the nation's credit rating before and, if repeated, could again endanger our fragile economic recovery and even bring down the world economy.
It's time to look at future use of the federal credit card, not shout insults in unhelpful ways about what already was charged by the wild spending of Congress in the past, with Republicans and Democrats both to blame.
It's time to look at all future spending, defense and domestic and entitlements, but not with blind sequester cuts.
It's time to realize that the best solution to the national debt is a robust economy, where folks now collecting unemployment are instead working and paying taxes, where businesses are expanding with confidence instead of worrying that Congress will shut down government and destroy the nation's credit.
An improved economy will do more good than the revenue increases or spending cuts about which congressional loudmouths bluster in ways that stall economic growth.
While loudmouths shouted at each other at the fiscal cliff, the deal put together to avert disaster was forged quietly by Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and Vice President Joe Biden. They said little as they worked together to come up with the best compromise that could pass in both House and Senate.
A message from the voters in the election was that they wanted cooperation to get something done, compromise rather than chaos.
That was what McConnell and Biden did, cooperate to get something done. Neither, if having the choice, would want exactly what was done. Both knew that hope of a "grand bargain" dealing with all fiscal problems had vanished.
The extent of bipartisan support surprised Washington observers of the long, contentious political stalemate there.
The Senate voted 89 to 8 for the compromise, with just three Democrats and five Republicans voting "no."
The House voted in favor 257 to 167, with 85 Republicans and 172 Democrats voting "yes." And there likely could have been more Republican support if needed. Some Republicans, fearing primary challenges if they voted for a compromise, took the "safe" route of voting "no" but would have considered switching if needed to avert tax increases for everybody.
The compromise also dealt with the alternative minimum tax problem, extending unemployment compensation, the "doc fix" on Medicare and extending farm bill programs to prevent a big hike in milk prices.
Not bad. Not as good as everybody would like. But the important evaluation is that it was not bad and could show the way for future bipartisan efforts that will strengthen the economy. The loudmouths in the way should just shut up. They won't. But the rest of Congress knows now that it's possible to tune 'em out.
Jack Colwell is a columnist for The Tribune. Write to him in care of The Tribune or by e-mail at jcolwell@comcast.net.
Congress holds its noise and votes
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