Musing of One Wondering What the Roman Government in the First Century Did About Sword Control

Rhetorical question: if the people could establish an immutable rule that unless the "fiscal cliff" is definitively solved by January 20th, then the President and all Members of Congress would take an automatic 10% pay cut for the rest of their term, what would happen?

Musing of one watching a Congressman mow his lawn while clad in a three-piece business suit and $400 dress shoes.

While watching on TV the donnybrook regarding the "fiscal cliff," it occurred to me that apparently all parties are missing one significant aspect of the problem, i.e., the recession. (Yes, Virginia, there is a recession -- at least in my opinion, because any time the economy does not grow rapidly enough to absorb new workers, we have a problem known as a recession.) It seems to me the principal reason the various stimulus packages did not work well was that they were primarily associated with non-recurring demand. It seems self-evident that a recession occurs when recurring demand drops off and people are no longer able to sell their products. Therefore, any government effort to alleviate a recession should be associated with recurring demand. I have some ideas, such as a relatively small stimulus package aimed at increasing recurring demand (for example, a package that would increase sales of consumables) and replacement of the current health care law (Obamacare) by a simpler, more pragmatic plan. But then, who is going to listen to a crotchety old curmudgeon.