The nation is stumbling, sliding - and being pushed - toward the so-called "fiscal cliff." With the Christmas holiday out of the way, it's time for the Senate to reach out and pull us back.
Last Friday, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, attempted to resolve the standoff between pro-tax liberals led by President Barack Obama and conservatives who are worried about plunging the country into a new recession.
But Boehner's "Plan B" did not even come up for a vote in the House.
It had been a reaction to Obama's insistence on higher taxes that would have hurt hundreds of thousands of small businesses. Instead of tax hikes starting for those earning as low as $200,000 a year, Boehner proposed a $1 million threshold.
House conservatives indicated they would not vote for the plan - some of them saying it was not accompanied by enough government spending cuts.
That apparently leaves it up to the Senate to devise a compromise.
Unfortunately, most Senate Democrats do the president's bidding.
It is time for them to do what is best for the country.
