Remember Dec. 31, 1999, when the Y2K bug caused airplanes and satellites to fall from the sky, physically crashing into financial centers that had already crashed figuratively after important banking computers caught fire, and how all elevators were stuck between floors everywhere?

Or when, earlier this month, the world actually ended along with the Mayan calendar?

Some people think the " fiscal cliff" is going to be a lot like that: a bunch of hype, and not much catastrophe.

At least one U.S. senator, Iowa Democrat Tom Harkin, is on record comparing the fiscal cliff to Y2K. So are a whole lot of people on Twitter, desensitized by repeated warnings of economic cataclysm.

A sampling of fiscal cliff/Y2K tweets proves that some of us can't feel anything for this "cliff" anymore:

Anyone missing the Y2K hype of 1999. Prince really should have cashed in on a cliff song.

— Hope (@HopeOR) December 31, 2012

- Ryan Lizza (@RyanLizza) December 31, 2012

Is the Fiscal cliff on the Mayan calendar as well?

- Dj Severe (@djsevere) December 31, 2012

Is the Fiscal Cliff Y2K compliant?

- Jordan Hoffman (@JHoffman6) December 31, 2012

I survived the Mayan apocalypse. I can survive a fiscal cliff dive

- Angela Brown (@Skangelita) December 31, 2012

Bracing for the fiscal cliff the same way I prepared for Y2K: lots of candles, batteries, cans of soup, backing everything up to floppy disk

- Mike Rubin (@rubinbooty) December 31, 2012

The Fiscal Cliff is the new Y2K.

- Michele Catalano (@inthefade) December 31, 2012

Fiscal Cliff is the Y2K of 2012 Mayan prophecies.

- CJ Werleman (@rationalists) December 27, 2012

If the fiscal cliff is anything like Y2K, it's going to be a pretty uneventful night. Worse case, @ timandel, ends up in the hospital again

- Charles Z. Berman (@ChuckerB) December 31, 2012

Honest to God, the Mayan apocalypse "jokes" didn't overstay their welcome as long as the fiscal cliff "jokes."

- Scott Renshaw (@scottrenshaw) December 31, 2012

We made it thru #Mayan cliff that was building for 1000 years. The #FiscalCliff will be no biggie. #Chill

- Win Featherston (@WinFeath) December 31, 2012

We went over so let's stop with the "cliff". Can somebody find a new word. Cliff is soooo Y2K

- Megs World (@MMAMeg) December 31, 2012