On a cable news channel, what is the quota for saying fiscal cliff in a 10 minute period? The news writers must have a minimum number of times the term must be spoken. Where did the term fiscal cliff actually come from? The term fiscal cliff creates a mental image of immediate dire consequences suffered suddenly if something is not done. I wonder how a term comes to get universal usage on all news networks? I remember when Obama Care was being considered. It was called healthcare reform on the news? To be against Obama Care was to be against reform. During that time period, there was a healthcare crisis. Why is there not a healthcare crisis today? Nothing has changed. Where did the crisis go?