Ten Lessons for 2012 (Or, For That Matter, Right Now)

Kevin Williamson in NRO lists 10 things to keep in mind for 2012.   But, really, what he's offering is a list of ten things we need to keep in mind every day beginning today and going on into the future for as far as the eye can see:

With an eye on 2012, here are ten important but sometimes counterintuitive facts to keep in mind:

1.      There is no austerity.
2.      There was no deregulation.
3.      You can’t trust Republicans on spending.
4.      Wall Street loves Democrats.
5.      People who voted for Barack Obama on civil-liberties grounds are fools.
6.      If you aren’t for massive entitlement reform, you’re for massive tax hikes.
7.      But taxing the rich won’t close the deficit.
8.      The housing bubble was largely a political creation.
9.      Well-meaning politicians are just as dangerous as self-serving ones.
10.  There’s no way out of this jam without big cuts to popular programs.

The real debate isn’t whether to cut, only what and how much and when. (My preferred answers: almost everything, a lot, now.)

The links provide the meat, but this is a useful set of talking points.   Or, really, screaming points.