Fiscal cliff villains are just the usual suspects So let's step back for a minute, and consider what's going on here. For years, deficit scolds have held Washington in thrall with warnings of an imminent debt crisis, even though investors, who continue to buy U.S. bonds, clearly believe that such a crisis won't happen; economic analysis says that such a crisis can't happen; and the historical record shows no examples bearing any resemblance to our current situation in which such a crisis actually did happen. If you ask me, it's time for Washington to stop worrying about this phantom menace - and to stop listening to the people who have been peddling this scare story in an attempt to get their way.