The 2012 Lame Duck Session is Here

The 2012 Lame Duck Session is Here

It's been nearly a week since Barack Obama was re-elected president and today the 2012 lame duck session officially begins as the fiscal cliff looms.

—The expiration of Bush-era tax cuts on income, investments, married couples and families with children and inheritances.

—A $55 billion, 9 percent cut to the Pentagon next year and another $55 billion in cuts to domestic programs, including a 2 percent cut to Medicare providers.

—The expiration of unemployment benefits for the long-term jobless and a sharp cut in reimbursements for doctors participating...