Living will be more expensive in 2013 fiscal cliff or not

By Dian Vujovich

If you’ve become nervous and jerky about what falling off a fiscal means for you, quit stressing over it. Seems like every year the cost of living goes up and up on the kinds of items we need like  gas, milk, meat, chicken, bread, cheese fruits, veggies, etc. And let’s not forget all those insurance premium hikes either whether they are car, motorcycle, home, flood or health related. All of which means that basically life costs more one year to the next whether there’s the threat of a fiscal cliff lurking around the corner or not.

Re the cliff,  I’m not sure who came up with the term “fiscal cliff” but I do know that we can thank our past elected officials for kicking America’s financial obligations and responsibilities can down the road. Unfortunately, while that path is/was doable it is/was also dangerous. That’s  because the road to debtdom is  a slippery one whether you’re an individual, public or private company or a nation.

If  financial can kicking isn’t  challenging enough,  throw in a couple of dead-cap bounces along the way—there’s always one of those every so often— and what looks like a promising financial fix one day can blow up the next.  Bottom line: Can kicking is as deceptive as it is devious.

Well, that’s depressing. But wait, I’ve got more. And it’s sorta kinda good….maybe.

First, America’s financial challenges were going to be here no matter which guy was elected president. So forget blaming and finger pointing and hop on the reality bus.

Second, taxes—in some fashion like subtle, straight forward and or both—were going to go up one way or another no matter which guy was elected president. The question of how much up and on what remains a mystery for now.

Third, back to the cost of living. While your dollars may  go  further and allow you to buy items like a snazzier computer, TV, telephone, car and even home or condo today than they could a few years ago, going places like the hairdresser, eating out, McDonald’s, the movies and phara-shopping hasn’t gotten cheaper.

So when comparing what’s in your wallet with what it buys, life  today costs more than it did last year and will cost more in coming year whether America’s snarled fiscal mess gets resolved or not. Prepare for it. That’s  not a news flash. It’s a reality.