Integrity at Cliff's Edge

Eight senators voted no on the fiscal cliff deal:

Tom Carper (D-DE)
Michael Bennet (D-CO)
Charles Grassley (R-IA)
Tom Harkin (D-IA)
Mike Lee (R-UT)
Rand Paul (R-KY)
Marco Rubio (R-FL)
Richard Shelby (R-AL)

While I can imagine it took some measure of courage for Carper, Bennet and Harkin to buck leadership and vote "no" on the deal, their reasons for doing so was based on standing firm on democratic principles.  

Harkin, in his speech on the senate floor explaining his vote, gives a brief but excellent history of why going over the cliff and back to the Clinton tax rates would not be such a bad thing for the nation.  Sure, the short term pain of taxes going up, and the removal of spending on consumption would have an impact.  Harkin reminds us all of how that could have easily been averted to head off the impact of going over.  Harkin reminds us what happened the last time we did this.

But more importantly, Harkin also questions the giveaways in the deal, and the approach taken for towards benefits for the wealthy, versus every one else.  Namely, that tax cuts and other benefits for the wealthy are made permanent, wherein benefits for middle class and working families, such as unemployment insurance, child tax credit, EITC and others are temporary.

The reality is this; our political system has been corrupted by money to the extent that those who are the most vulnerable are always first to suffer and sacrifice when it comes to resources.  Its easier for those in Washington, democrat or republican, to cut the benefits of senior citizens, than it is, for example, to adjust tax legislation to prevent corporations from getting tax breaks for shipping jobs overseas, but in some cases ending up with a negative tax rate.