As the American public's frustration with their elected officials grows, some have decided that the only thing left to do is laugh.
While falling off the fiscal cliff is no laughing matter, the fact that 100 Senators, 535 Representatives and one President could not find common financial ground has provided the creators of internet meme's food for thought.
From throwing the members of Congress into an imaginary Recycle Bin on their desktop to a typically teary John Boehner crying that he 'don't wanna go over the fiscal cliff', the barely disguised rage come through in the hilarious creations.
A crying John Boehner is mocked in this internet meme poking fun at the fiscal cliff
Inventive pictures mock up a Cliff bar into a fiscal cliff bar, with the U.S. economy falling to its doom with a net worth of $17 trillion.
Another hilarious picture shows Harry Reid, John Boehner and Nancy Pelosi sitting inside the White House trying to thrash out a deal, while being lectured to by President Obama.
Comparing them to the Mean Girls who battled Lindsay Lohan in the 2004 movie of the same name, President Obama tells them 'What you need is an attitude markeover and you're going to get it right now.'
He goes onto say, with a picture showing him with a stern face, 'I don't care how long it takes. I will keep you here all night.'
This comment on the fiasco of the fiscal cliff negotiations pulls no punches
Dr Cliff Huxtable speaks his mind and passes the buck on the fiscal cliff - just like the politicians of Washington D.C.
In another play on popular culture, Bill Cosby's Cliff Huxtable from the Cosby Show is made up to answer questions on the fiscal cliff which the U.S. fell over on Monday evening.
Riffing on the characters famous, 'Ask your mother' tactic with his children, the fiscal 'Cliff' Huxtable even has one of his loud sweaters on too.
Les Miserables gets a mention too, with pictures of a sad President Obama thinking the lyrics to 'I Had a Dream', the famous song from the long running Broadway hit.
And fittingly, a final caustic truth is told in one of the meme's with a poster that reads, 'Who pays when you screw up? You do.'
'Who pays when they screw up? Nope, still you.'
This comes as a last-ditch tax deal in the Senate might let the U.S. economy escape the worst of the so-called fiscal cliff and avoid going back into recession. But even if the House goes along, the tax increases likely coming in 2013 will dent economic growth anyway.
The literal Fiscal Cliff is Bill Cosby as Cliff Huxtable armed with a handful of cash
The is the Fiscal Cliff Bar which shows the doomed American taxpayer falling over the fiscal cliff and the net worth of the economy - $17 trillion
President Obama will talk some sense into 'The Mean Girls' of Washington D.C. who just can't seem to get along
Dr Cliff Huxtable makes another appearance as an internet meme that is mocking the fiscal cliff of the American people
This picture opts to throw the politicians into the recycle bin of a imaginary desk top
In the early hours of the new year, the Senate voted to end a long stalemate and raise taxes on upper-income households, extend long-term unemployment benefits and postpone decisions over government spending cuts, officials said. But any deal needs approval from the House.
About $536 billion in 2013 tax increases were scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, along with $109 billion in cuts from military and domestic-spending programs, if Democrats and Republicans could not reach agreement.
Mark Vitner, senior economist at Wells Fargo, said he expects budget policy, including the higher taxes in the Senate plan, to shave 0.8 percentage points off economic growth in 2013. The economy doesn't have much growth to give. Vitner predicts it will grow just 1.5 percent in 2013, down from 2.2 percent in 2012.
A sad President Obama reflects on the fiscal cliff with the lyrics of 'I had a Dream' underneath
Even Mitt Romney sheds a tear inspired by the fiscal cliff and Les Miserables
