Extremism is not usually healthy in most realms of life, and that includes politics–but this time it’s different. As the November elections approach, voters should be looking for candidates that are extreme on three fronts: fiscal responsibility, integrity and serving the will of the people.
Regardless of where the chips fall after election day in terms of “party control” of America‘s rule-making body, the winners must not lose sight of the fact that the well-being of America‘s future is in their hands. Our politicians must be held to a higher standard than the average American because they are the role models for the leaders of tomorrow and the children of today who may one day become leaders in America.
While most people understand the concepts of integrity and serving the will of the people, fiscal responsibility appears to be more elusive, since so many people in our society spend beyond their means. In recent years, this has led to devastating debt burdens on families, unprecedented foreclosures on homes, massive personal bankruptcies and tremendous suffering.
Now imagine that your government mirrors this scenario of spending beyond its means, except that it can print money to get out of the bind—for a while. The publicly reported national debt is about $15 trillion, but the REAL national debt number is closer to $50 trillion. This is because certain types of debt, referred to as “off balance sheet liabilities” are not included in the typically reported numbers. These debts include social security and Medicaid, among others.
Why should the average American care about the national debt? Because is it spinning out of control and if it continues it will have a devastating effect on our way of life and standard of living for generations to come as the result of escalating taxes, higher interest rates and runaway inflation.
The Tea Party Movement is just the tip of the iceberg among a populace that is becoming gravely concerned about the direction the country is heading in, the policies being implemented by our government, the misappropriation of our tax dollars, the extraordinary levels of government waste and self dealing. The political establishment is starting to get the message, giving us hope that America will turn the page on what is, hopefully, the last chapter of the country’s downward spiral.
November’s elections give us the opportunity to be reborn as a country and to get back on a path to greatness and respect that we once commanded as a nation.
by Klea Theoharis
Copyright Queens Gazette Letters to the Editor
October 20, 2010
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