We are currently spending our grandchildren and great-grandchildren’s money to make our lives better today and that is immoral.
And no, Republicans, it is not all the fault of the president and the Democrats. It is true that the Obama administration has exploded the growth of the debt in unprecedented ways, but other than the Republican congress right after the “Contract with America” (in 1994 – and, yes, President Clinton cooperated in the effort) there has been little evidence of either party really caring about the debt.
So, we have amassed a debt that is over 16 trillion dollars. I remember when it was considered scandalous that we were buying debt in the 200 to 400 billion range annually. Now, it is well over a trillion dollars each year and all we are doing is asking ourselves how much more we can get for us, our projects and our side.
So, the facts are pretty simple. We are borrowing money that our grandchildren, great-grandchildren and their grandchildren will have to repay so that we can continue to fund our comfortable lives right now. We want our government payouts and our low cost of living and we don’t care if someone else has to pay it.
To me, the greatest moral issue in America is abortion – the brutal murder of a baby inside its mother’s womb. Unthinkable. Dwight McKissic has argued, convincingly to me, that the racism that remains in America is another great moral issue. There are issues out there that we need to be concerned about.
But we have to stop looking at the debt as a political issue. We need to see it for what it is – a sinful act by which we rob our grandchildren to pay for our own comforts. Parents are meant to sacrifice for their children, not steal from them. America and its people are willing accomplices to this by electing people who promise to give us this and give us that. We need to start holding politicians feet to the fire about the national debt.
- We are going to have to curb spending. Yes, that will hurt, but it has to be done.
- We will have to pay more taxes in this time – across the board. We are all going to have to share that burden. For a huge percentage of Americans, tax time is not a burden but a bonanza. With earned income credit and child care credits, many (I have heard that the percentage nears half of all American taxpayers) have a net payout from the treasury instead of paying into it. We’ve turned tax day into a massive money giveaway. No wonder we have some problems. From the bottom to the top, we have to pay what we need to pay NOW so that our great-grandchildren do not get stuck with the bill.
- We must consistently vote for candidates who do not promise us the moon but demonstrate a genuine concern about reducing our federal (and state) debt.
I hope this does not come off as partisan. One reason I am a Republican instead of a Democrat (other than abortion and other moral issues) is because I agree with the Republican philosophy on debt reduction. However, Republicans in office have failed miserably to enact those plans when they have had the power. Lip-service must never be enough again. Republicans have been willing accomplices in this national shame.
It is immoral to live well today and send the bill to the generations that follow. It is something that needs to stop.
