Perpetual Debt

 I think this quote from Thomas Jeffeerson is worthy of being reposted here.

"I place economy among the first and most important virtues, and public debt as the greatest of dangers to be feared. To prteserve our independence, we must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt. If we run into such debts, we must be taxed in out meat and drink, in our necessities and in our comforts, in our labor and in our amusements. If we can prevent the government from wasting the labor of the people, under the pretense of caring for them, they [the people] will be happy" -- Thomas Jefferson

Of course, that is exactly what has happened. We The People, through our government, are now in debt to the tune of more than $30.6 Trillion dollars. That's outrageous!

I think it's completely outrageous that about half of all the money spent by the government is "borrowed". If you or I had a spending habit like that it wouldn't take long before our creditors would shut us down and force us into bankruptcy. I believe that Congress has the duty to reduce the debt and find a way to live within its means. If that means cuts to "favorite" programs, then so be it! The cuts, no matter how severe, would certainly be less painful in the long run than bankruptcy. So let's get started making the cuts!

However, I doubt very much that congress has the courage to do the right thing. Otherwise, it's just a house of cards that will eventually crumble. Unfortunately, the people in power seem to lack such courage and are concerned with their own near-term benefit more than they are with the long-term health of the nation. They want power, money and other benefits now and apparently don't give a damn about what might happen in the future after they are gone..