Big Spenders
July 9, 2009 - by
Polls suggest that President Obama is losing independents who are concerned about federal spending and rising debt. In North Carolina
Democrats don’t need to panic yet. The honeymoon had to end, and Obama had to come back to earth. He’s still pretty popular. And the 2010 and 2012 elections are far away. Democrats have no problem an economic recovery won’t cure.
But I was struck by something the self-anointed Apostle of Common Sense, Jerry Brown (yes, that Jerry Brown) said the other day. Brown is positioning himself for another run for governor of California
So simple it sounds trite, but nobody else is making the point that clearly. Brown put his finger on what is wrong with us as Americans.
It’s not just government. Most people and most families simply spend more than they can afford. That’s what caused the mortgage meltdown. That’s what built the mountain of credit-card debt.
Why should we be surprised when our government acts like us?
After all, we want all those goodies: schools, police, prisons, health care, mental health care, aged care, child care, museums, parks, Medicaid and Social Security.
We just don’t want to pay for them.
So we pretend there is enough “government waste” that, if somebody would just cut it out, we could have all the good stuff without raising taxes.
I’ve been hearing that for 40 years. And nobody has yet found all that waste. I’m still waiting.
Oh, we’ve got our Bridges to Nowhere and piers and crab pots (see Carter’s posts). But those are raindrops in the ocean.
Let’s not forget: Under just eight years of George Bush, we went from a nation with a balanced budget. We even talked about paying down the national debt. Today, some economists think we are headed toward a massive financial collapse.
Americans have always muddled through and avoided long-term disasters in the past. But those generations had the gumption to do what they had to do. Our generation has always had an easy ride. Can we really take the hard road?
Big Spenders
July 9, 2009/
Polls suggest that President Obama is losing independents who are concerned about federal spending and rising debt. In North Carolina
Democrats don’t need to panic yet. The honeymoon had to end, and Obama had to come back to earth. He’s still pretty popular. And the 2010 and 2012 elections are far away. Democrats have no problem an economic recovery won’t cure.
But I was struck by something the self-anointed Apostle of Common Sense, Jerry Brown (yes, that Jerry Brown) said the other day. Brown is positioning himself for another run for governor of California
So simple it sounds trite, but nobody else is making the point that clearly. Brown put his finger on what is wrong with us as Americans.
It’s not just government. Most people and most families simply spend more than they can afford. That’s what caused the mortgage meltdown. That’s what built the mountain of credit-card debt.
Why should we be surprised when our government acts like us?
After all, we want all those goodies: schools, police, prisons, health care, mental health care, aged care, child care, museums, parks, Medicaid and Social Security.
We just don’t want to pay for them.
So we pretend there is enough “government waste” that, if somebody would just cut it out, we could have all the good stuff without raising taxes.
I’ve been hearing that for 40 years. And nobody has yet found all that waste. I’m still waiting.
Oh, we’ve got our Bridges to Nowhere and piers and crab pots (see Carter’s posts). But those are raindrops in the ocean.
Let’s not forget: Under just eight years of George Bush, we went from a nation with a balanced budget. We even talked about paying down the national debt. Today, some economists think we are headed toward a massive financial collapse.
Americans have always muddled through and avoided long-term disasters in the past. But those generations had the gumption to do what they had to do. Our generation has always had an easy ride. Can we really take the hard road?