No cliff deal.  As of this morning, the President and Congress continue to fail to to make a “fiscal cliff” deal.  Rest assured, though, that even when they cobble together a lame and harmful deal, as they will today or weeks from now, they won’t even begin to address the real fiscal calamity — the government’s incontinent spending.

The unforgivable sin of the current president, and the last one, and their Congressional enablers, is spreading the idea that the government can buy us all free stuff, and the rich guy will pick up the tab.  Sorry.  The rich guy isn’t buying.

Income taxes: the redheaded stepchild of Branstad tax policy?  It looks more and more like the Branstad agenda for the 2013 Iowa legislative session  won’t include income tax reform.  From the Sioux City Journal:

Asked during a recent interview if there was room in all that for income tax reductions during the 2013 session, Branstad replied: “Probably not.”

“Honestly, property tax would be my priority and I’d love to do income tax, too, and maybe, if revenues exceed expectation, we could provide some income tax relief in addition,” Branstad said. “But I think I would rather focus and get something permanent done on the property tax. That’s the place where we’re the least competitive.”

That’s a shame.  Given the economically unwise attitude of the Senate leader, maybe nothing is possible:

Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs, said he would need more details but at first blush he doubted it would go very far in the legislative process if it proved to be “just a way for the wealthiest Iowans to cut their taxes dramatically” while middle-class families picked up a greater share of the tab for the cost of state government.

That’s just silly.  The rich guy isn’t buying for Iowa either.  The wealthiest Iowans always can dramatically cut their taxes with a moving van, until Senator Gronstal figures out a way to keep them from escaping to zero-tax South Dakota or Florida.

Iowa’s income tax is way overdue for replacement.   Instead, it will get more Bondo and bumper stickers.

If Iowa’s tax law were a car, it would look like this.

Fiscal Cliff Notes:

Greg Mankiw, New York Times:

When President Obama talks about taxing the rich, he means the top 2 percent of Americans. John A. Boehner, the House speaker, talks about an even thinner slice. But the current and future fiscal imbalances are too large to exempt 98 percent or more of the public from being part of the solution.       

Ultimately, unless we scale back entitlement programs far more than anyone in Washington is now seriously considering, we will have no choice but to increase taxes on a vast majority of Americans.

Think Finland.  Unless we choose to be Greece or Argentina.

Gongol: Fiscal Cliff…not resolved. I note a false choice:

The people who make the decisions at the highest level in this republic are either dishonest or utterly economically incompetent if they don’t say the following out loud: “We are demanding more out of our government than we can presently afford. We need to pay more, get less, or both.”

“Either?”  I say “both.”

Kay Bell: Senate ready for some football; adjourns Sunday without reaching fiscal cliff deal

TaxGrrrl, Budget Talks Stall As Reid Calls Latest GOP Move A ‘Poison Pill’

Kevin Drawbaugh, Fiscal cliff talks down to the wire (Tax Break)

Nick Kasprak, 2012 Likely to be First Year Without AMT Patch

Peter Reilly, Dysfunctional Congress – At Least They Are Not Maiming One Another.  If they don’t, maybe we should.

The roundup:

Cara Griffith, What Will Become of Physical Presence? (Tax.com)

Paul Neiffer,  Be Careful Of Fiscal Year Section 179 Issues!

Jason Dinesen,  6 Tax Predictions for 2012 — How Did I Do?

Tres Bien. French Court:  75% Tax Rate on Millionaires Is Unconstitutional (TaxProf)

Robert Goulder, Gérard Depardieu: Tax Exile (Tax.com)

TaxGrrrl, Congress Hasn’t Fixed The Budget Yet, Getting A Raise Anyway.  Courtesy of the President, who maybe thinks they make him look good by comparison.

Chris Sanchirico, New Ways to Think About a Tax on Public Companies

Insureblog,  Cavalcade of Risk #173: Post-Mayan Apocalypse Edition‏