Another roadblock looms ahead. The work crew loitering about leaning on shovels are democrats, motioning us to detour away from this newest obstacle and down a very bumpy road with more dangers and pitfalls. They’ve had us do this many times, costing us a lot more to get where we want to go.
Our original road was great: wide, clear, good repair, allowing steady passage to great destinations. We marveled at the sights, some better, some worse, but that’s OK. One usually sees a variety travelling down the road: good/bad, interesting/boring. All part of the adventure of a well planned trip to new places.
Travel usually demands an itinerary of where we’re going and how long it will take, based on maps, roadside amenities & stops along the way. Of course, we expect the road to be in good condition, including tunnels, bridges and so. We also expect gas stations, motels, stores & cafe’s to be available to serve our needs.
This makes for an efficient journey, minimum wear/tear on the car, good use of time allotted and a satisfactory, enjoyable trip during which most gets accomplished.
You could say America has been on such a trip, and until about 75yrs ago the road took us where we wanted to go. We changed cars as newer models came along, but it was a good, solid road leading us in the right direction.
Driving safely requires traffic laws, courtesies and clear rights of way. Otherwise, there’s confusion and chaos. One would never know if they’d be arriving at their destination safely and on time.
It also requires law enforcement and maintenance. Police keep control of things by cautioning/ticketing reckless, unlawful drivers. Road gangs keep vigil on the road’s state of repair, fixing cracks, potholes, side-rails, clearing random debris/snow, and inspecting major structural components like bridges and tunnels.
Now, congressional acts and governmental policies can be likened to an ideological road well travelled, so let’s continue using our metaphor but in this immediately relevant context.
Since FDR congress has pretty much held national debt to supportable fractions of GDP, especially compared with the rest of the world. We prioritized spending, allocated resources & gradually move forward {down that original road} to become probably the best place to live, and greatest nation on earth.
We did this spectacularly from the 40’s – 90’s, even with wars, recessions and civil unrest. We grew our population, economy and middle class. More of the world migrated here, legal/illegal.
These facts/realities suggest we were doing things right {on the right road?} despite isolated inequities and capitalism’s abuses. Besides, don’t we work diligently to fix inequities, and to police capital markets and corporate interests for wrong-doing?
Debating about raising the debt ceiling is nothing new. It’s been happening for years. Until recently it was an acceptable part of Red – Blue dynamics, with Red standing firm and Blue asking for more. Then, in the final Bush years and all during Obama’s administration debt has skyrocketed due to unprecedented yearly deficits in the trillions. When you over-spend $1Tri/yr, chances are debt will increase the same. It’s now approaching $17Tri.
It’s become a multiple of GDP, not a fraction, and we emulate Greece, Ireland, Japan on our nation’s balance sheet. We’ve hit these debt-ceiling roadblocks before, but last couple times Reds resolved not to give in to Blue demands, not without significant reductions in spending, the only way to stop growing the debt.
But, we reached the roadblock, looked for ways round, then reluctantly, angrily gave in, taking another detour, leading us farther and farther away from that original road we were on.
Detours these past several years have gotten us nowhere. They turn us back on ourselves, making us cover the same ground over and over, with more bumps and potholes, many unpaved stretches, and few signposts leading us to where? Yellow brick roads to a shiny utopia, or 40mi of bad road leading to a republic’s dead end? Our vehicle {economy /society} has taken a beat- ing. Some wonder what comes first: run out of gas, or just quit?
These Blue detours are the very same taken by most of Europe, Scandinavia, Far East, South America, even Africa. Depending on the country they led either to statism, socialism or communism. America’s road is/has always been the road to a free democratic republic: financial house in order, rules/laws in place, vibrant economy nurtured by a free enterprise, capitalistic system.
If you are democrat or vote blue, take stock how you lead us away from our traditional, successfully proven model, to a bastardized version of one of the European models. We’ll still have a president, two houses of congress & two major political parties, but it will all be a sham. Elections will be meaningless as it all devolves into a nanny-state, with rapacious taxation of the rich, low taxes on what’s left of the middle class, and no tax at all on the lower middle class and poor.
You are morphing us into mediocrity, not greatness. We will put liberal, progressive idealism to no better use than has already been shown time and time again. We’re all in a car going down the road, but many don’t want to go where we’re going. We want the car to either get back on the right road, or pull over and let us out. We’d rather walk in the right direction, than ride to inanity.
Reds must demand no more detours or delays, without major reductions in the deficit. The debt ceiling must not be raised unless spending is cut immediately by $300 – $400Bil. These cuts must be from social security, medicare and various other entitlements.
No compromise. No Deals. The Blues have had their day. They almost brought the country to ruin. It’s time to move on.
A Red capitulation this time, will end the American Dream
You’ve been reading Shaneview
I’m Al Shane
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