After the so-called Congessional supercommittee was felled by far-too-ordinary partisanship, the average American family may be the ones asked to take the brunt of the cuts if two programs aren’t renewed by the end of the year.

At risk are the moderate tax cuts currently helping more than 160 million Americans keep a little more of their hard-earned money. Also up for renewal is the extension of long-term unemployment benefits that, of not renewed, would cut assistance to 6 million people by the end of 2012.

The Associated Press analysis of these programs painted a very bleak picture.

“If the tax cut goes away, the average family would pay about $1,000 more in taxes next year, the equivalent of an extra tank of gas every two weeks. Someone earning $100,000 would pay $2,000 more,” a report published Tuesday said.

“And if long-term unemployment benefits are allowed to expire, about 6 million people would lose weekly checks averaging about $300. For most of the long-term unemployed, that is their main source of income.”

These programs were extended last year during an 11th hour agreement. We hope cooler heads prevail once again.

As the 2012 presidential race looms, partisan politics is in full force in Washington, D.C. This has essentially stifled any chance of growth or economic recovery.

Both sides have some good ideas but compromise seems to be all but dead because both parties are more interested in political gain than they are actual solutions.

Failure to extend these programs would be a big step backward for millions of Americans. There is nothing political about that.