If you are not concerned about the national debt, you should be. A recent analysis by the Government Accountability Office shows exactly why. Scary stuff! 2020 is less than 10 short years away, and 2040 isn't that far off either. It's easy to become dismayed or, worse yet, complacent in the face of such staggering numbers and need for change. How do we reverse course?
It is pretty predictable how politicians on each side will react to this report. Those on the right will attack Medicaid and the reckless spending of the past 2 years. There will be no mention from them of the spending that has exceeded our willingness to tax since the early 1980s, and there will certainly be no willingness to add taxes now... or ever again! They will be less than vague when describing how to reduce that interest payment, and, of course, they wouldn't touch Social Security or Medicare with a 50-foot pole. Those on the left are so afraid of losing even more of their jobs in 2012 and beyond that they don't want to touch any of it. They'll lose any influence with the largest group of voters if they touch Social Security and Medicare, and they'll lose their base if they touch Medicaid. They'll discuss the balooning interest by saying some of the same vague comments about the debt that their rivals on the right will say. They'll mention the reckless spending of the Bush Administration and conveniently leave out the past couple of years, and they'll indicate the need to raise taxes... not now, but at some point in the future.
Obviously, we have a problem. Two of our biggest programs are exploding, yet no one is willing to deal with them. Retirees are now taking more money out of the system than they ever put in... some twice as much... and we don't seem willing to raise the age of eligibility or have an income cap. Even taking a look at where to save money with Medicaid is suicide for the Democrats. Maybe our politicians should be more concerned about the country than their political careers. Or maybe the biggest problem is that no one seems to be able to have a civil and inteligent conversation about all of this. My wife just questioned me about it all and played devil's advocate, and all I did was get defensive about it. Why? Is it so hard for us to admit that other veiwpoints have their merits and that we don't know everything there is to know? Is it really that satisfying to us to demonize others just to get that intoxicating feeling of superiority?
The next 10 years are going to define who we have become as a civilization. Do we have any remaining ability to see beyond the paradigm of Red vs. Blue? Can we still solve our problems? We have to begin by talking, and we have to suppress that urge to come off as superior; that need to be right all of the time. For all of the politicians who have done the "right" thing in the past 50 years, things sure have gone wrong.
I've been one of the biggest proponents in the past for big government, at least when it comes to supporting those who are least able to support themselves. I have been an opponent of government's subsidization for large industries, such as oil, automobile, suburban housing, and agriculture. I still feel strongly about those things. But we've dug ourselves into such a deep hole from 60-some-odd years of fiscal and social policy that doing what I think is right will have to take a back seat to doing what is necessary. Don't get me wrong... I do not think at all that eliminating these programs and privatizing everything is what is sustainable, let alone necessary. But I do think that cuts to these programs, along with entitlements and highways and agricultural subsidies and the consideration of elevated tax rates on millionaires and billionaires, are necessary. Everything has to be on the table and debated on their merits. We no longer have the time to play political games.
My next post will describe what I think needs to be done to get things going in a sustainable direction, as well as what our fiscal and social philosophy should be when we emerge from this crisis. But do not think for a second that I am saying it can only be that way and that no other opinions matter. Think of it as the beginning of a conversation. We need a starting point, and apparently it needs to start outside of the Beltway. I'm not so self-involved that I believe it will start with me, but maybe I can influence someone that can start it.
This is a crisis; make no mistake about that. We've downplayed it and distracted ourselves from it for too long. It's time to put our asinine political games and arrogance aside. Let's talk!
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4 comments:
Ryan, this is, by far, my favorite post from you, yet. Well, I do enjoy the topics which I can employ my usual brand of comedy by making light of the subject. This is different, though.
You and I are seeing eye to eye on this topic. This IS a crisis. There has to be changes. There has to be unified action from both sides...and it has to be done 50 years ago. I happen to believe that we are in so deep that, no matter the efforts, we will never be able to dig our way out. We can, however, make changes that can prevent the utter foreclosure and dissolve of our great country.
My approach to getting things started without having to spend time squabbling over which departments get cut, and by how much, and why this and not that, is very simple. Cut EVERYTHING...ON ALL LEVELS...STRAIGHT ACROSS THE BOARD...WITH NOTHING LEFT OUT! Now, yes, there may be some room to argue and debate the different percentages that each department be cut...but to try to ensure that there is nothing to bitch about in regards to the fairness of this action, everyone must take the hit. And before somebody questions me by saying " well, are you prepared for the things that are important to you to have their funding cut?", let me just answer "Yes!...even that". And for those that are about to argue "...but we CAN'T cut the Department of __________!"... I say "Yes, even that". It may seem drastic, but it must be done to ensure our children and our grandchildren have a country to call home.
This is similar to what England has recently done, and I think it's about time, too, that a World Power had the BALLS to take such drastic measures. It needs to be done to ensure our future. We have already pawned a good portion of the United States to our Asian Sugar-Daddies. Well, with the increasing decline of our dollar, and our ever-decreasing credit rating on the world market, those creditors are surely about to close their wallets and call for payment-in-full on our outstanding debt. Guess what? We can't pay! Not even a little! We, as a Nation, are screwed!
HEY NOW! This is a blog that I think we can all get our arms around. It's like the POST DeJOUR.
I agree, this is scary, and if something isn't done soon we're all going to be in trouble. Our politicians need to grow some hair, (if you know what I mean), and make the tough decisions that will start to bring things back in order.
It's time for the popularity contests to be over!!!!!
I know you won't like this, but I realy feel that this very concern is what the TEA PARTY movement was all about. Some of it may have morphed into other directions along the way, but, the main purpose of the citizens organizing and speaking out was because they could see the big picture. The people of our country could see the parils of the massive debt that was accumulating and the folly of our politicians actions.
Yes, maybe we don't know all of the facts, but one fact is very clear, we can't go on the way that we are.
David seems to think that we've gone beyond the point of no return, and he may be right. I know for a fact that the city of Phoenix has sold just about every municipal building they owned, to foreinors of course, and are now leasing them back in order to try to keep up with their debt, I believe the state has done the same. If they, the 5th largest city in the country, have done that, then I'm very sure many other cities have done the same.
Our cities, our states, and our federal government are all in a desperate way. California and Illinois are considering bankruptcy, and I'm sure that others aren't far behind. Will our states be the next big bail-out?
All of these buildings that are being sold were constructed and financed with tax payer dollars. Will we be taxed again to bail out the BILLIONS or TRILLIONS of dollars of debt that are continuing to pile up?
Some who write the OP-EDS in the Wall Street Journal express that the United States is still the strongest economy in the world and that we shouldn't be panicking over China's or the E.U.'s economic rise, or that China and other emerging markets are our significant debtors. They say that we are the major buyers of their exports and if they should forclose on us, then who would buy all of their goods?
I say they are fooling themselves. They may be right that the forclosure will not happen. It may in fact be a complete coup that takes place. A total and unrestricted takeover of everything that we charish as our contry.
Think it can't happen?? Complacency will allow it to happen. Only fiscal actions of a drastic measure will stop it. Can't wait to read your next blog.
Big Daddy
I appreciate your comments. Please try to keep comments to constructive suggestions for policies and such. The key to starting a sustained conversation is to stay clear of politically charged words (Obamacare, death panels, socialist, Tea Bagger, job-killing, etc.) and dooms-day scenarios. They encourage others to hunker down and become more entrenched in their own ideas without being open to the ideas of others. We have to learn how to have a civil public discourse again. MSNBC and Fox News have done what they can to destroy any sense that we are all in this together, but my little niche of the media seeks to counteract that trend. Everything in moderation here; nothing to the extreme. Thanks.
I agree for the most part that there need to be cuts across the board. But we have to be mindful of the struggling economy. I know the jury is still out on Keynesian economics, but the fact remains that the great economic booms in the past 100 years were largely because of government investment in things like roads, energy development, technology development, and other cutting edge industries. I think it would be a mistake to forget that.
Tea Party: I actually think the Tea Party has been good for the country insofar as they have focused us on fiscal issues (sometimes) and gotten a good chunk of the public to realize that they have a responsibility to take part in public policy issues... a refreshing reverse from many decades of despondency. I disagree with a good portion of their fiscal policies and pretty much all of their social policies (which are, by the way, linked), but that's beside the point now. They are my neighbors, my family, my friends, and my elected officials. Focusing on my disagreements with them won't get us anywhere.
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