Our Political Class is Unserious...

That's not exactly new news, I know.  Alan Blinder has a piece in today's WSJ that nicely outlines the “fiscal cliff” we face in 2013.  That would be the cliff that our national politicians (a) created, and (b) are doing nothing whatsoever about.  His lead:

At some point, the spectacle America is now calling a presidential campaign will turn away from comedy and start focusing on things that really matter—such as the "fiscal cliff" our federal government is rapidly approaching.

The what? A cliff is something from which you don't want to fall. But as I'll explain shortly, a number of decisions to kick the budgetary can down the road have conspired to place a remarkably large fiscal contraction on the calendar for January 2013—unless Congress takes action to avoid it.

Well, that gives Congress plenty of time, right? Yes. But if you're like me, the phrase "unless Congress takes action" sends a chill down your spine—especially since the cliff came about because of Congress's past inability to agree.

Do go read the whole thing. It's quite depressing...