Bonnie Alba
Congress and Pres. Obama shame us - - is this all they can do?
By Bonnie Alba
"The farther backward you look, the farther forward you can see." ~ Winston Churchill
Looking back: The Debt Ceiling was increased 7 times in 8 years on former Pres. Bush's watch. The Debt increased from $5.727 trillion in 2001 to $9.849 trillion by September 2008. In just two years, Pres. Obama added another $4-plus trillion to the Debt now totaling $14.7 trillion.
And another raise in the Debt Ceiling is looming — despite Congress and the administration's ridiculous attempt at spending cuts. The present $38 billion cut is not even a flyspeck on the ceiling of total U.S. Debt. Congress and Pres. Obama: Is there no shame at this measly amount of pocket change?
Now and Future: Raising the Debt Ceiling without any thought to where we're headed as a nation — no integrity, principles or prudence involved — increases our chances of failure. If we continue on this road to perdition, the American people will experience loss of America and the tyranny they have been asking for all these years — a slavery that will make the slavery of the past look tame.
As William Pitt (1759-1806) once noted: "Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves." Declining to solely a Welfare State under tyranny appears to be what half the people desire.
I am reminded of an old Tennessee Ernie Ford song to 1950s mining communities, '16 Tons.' It could apply to our government — "The Feds spend trillions and what do we get, another year older and deeper in debt." The government "company store" will own all of us soon.
Former U.S. Comptroller David Walker warned us for years what the probable scenario would be — and it is now happening — as we watch our nation flounder just as other nations around the world wrestle to survive their debt burdens. We see it repeated in our 50 states.
We see it in the rise in bankrupt citizens who wonder what happened after they spent beyond their means. We see it in the citizens who thought they were just fine, charging on their credit cards for all their wants, not needs, and are now struggling to make the payments.
Spending has to stop before anything will change. Living within our means should be the way we manage our lives. And not what Pres. Obama nor Congress are slyly and politically suggesting. It is evident that they are not serious.
Looking Back: The 1996 Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act failed to rein in government spending. Why? Because Washington politicians broke their own promises. Nothing changed. Neither did the American people wake up to the approaching apocalyptic hooves thundering in the background.
Also, the people lost interest and confidence in the federal government to manage our nation and keep us financially stable because they didn't see any way to stop those breaking the laws they made.
The Tea Party movement is the result of disturbed slumber and has spread to every village and city across our country. Instead of continuing our silence and minding our own business, we the people, U.S. Constitution in hand, took to the streets and entered the local, state and federal halls of the politicians.
Looking Forward
We hope the "Tea Party" favorites we sent to Washington in 2010, who must be frustrated by their own comrade Republicans in name only, will hold to their principles and prudence and do the right thing for the country. We pray they will reject the lure of special interest sirens, unlike most of the rest of Congress; that they will not end up transforming themselves into corrupt scam artists working against America.
Look for the coming Congressional debates on raising the Debt Ceiling. Why would they not raise it? They love to spend. They see no need to restrain themselves.
"There is no means of avoiding the final collapse of a boom brought about by credit (debt) expansion. The alternative is only whether the crisis should come sooner as the result of a voluntary abandonment of further credit (debt) expansion, or later as a final and total catastrophe of the currency system involved." ~~Economist Ludwig von Mises
Washington believes their own lies and deceit — we must keep telling them the truth.
© Bonnie Alba
April 14, 2011
"The farther backward you look, the farther forward you can see." ~ Winston Churchill
Looking back: The Debt Ceiling was increased 7 times in 8 years on former Pres. Bush's watch. The Debt increased from $5.727 trillion in 2001 to $9.849 trillion by September 2008. In just two years, Pres. Obama added another $4-plus trillion to the Debt now totaling $14.7 trillion.
And another raise in the Debt Ceiling is looming — despite Congress and the administration's ridiculous attempt at spending cuts. The present $38 billion cut is not even a flyspeck on the ceiling of total U.S. Debt. Congress and Pres. Obama: Is there no shame at this measly amount of pocket change?
Now and Future: Raising the Debt Ceiling without any thought to where we're headed as a nation — no integrity, principles or prudence involved — increases our chances of failure. If we continue on this road to perdition, the American people will experience loss of America and the tyranny they have been asking for all these years — a slavery that will make the slavery of the past look tame.
As William Pitt (1759-1806) once noted: "Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves." Declining to solely a Welfare State under tyranny appears to be what half the people desire.
I am reminded of an old Tennessee Ernie Ford song to 1950s mining communities, '16 Tons.' It could apply to our government — "The Feds spend trillions and what do we get, another year older and deeper in debt." The government "company store" will own all of us soon.
Former U.S. Comptroller David Walker warned us for years what the probable scenario would be — and it is now happening — as we watch our nation flounder just as other nations around the world wrestle to survive their debt burdens. We see it repeated in our 50 states.
We see it in the rise in bankrupt citizens who wonder what happened after they spent beyond their means. We see it in the citizens who thought they were just fine, charging on their credit cards for all their wants, not needs, and are now struggling to make the payments.
Spending has to stop before anything will change. Living within our means should be the way we manage our lives. And not what Pres. Obama nor Congress are slyly and politically suggesting. It is evident that they are not serious.
Looking Back: The 1996 Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act failed to rein in government spending. Why? Because Washington politicians broke their own promises. Nothing changed. Neither did the American people wake up to the approaching apocalyptic hooves thundering in the background.
Also, the people lost interest and confidence in the federal government to manage our nation and keep us financially stable because they didn't see any way to stop those breaking the laws they made.
The Tea Party movement is the result of disturbed slumber and has spread to every village and city across our country. Instead of continuing our silence and minding our own business, we the people, U.S. Constitution in hand, took to the streets and entered the local, state and federal halls of the politicians.
Looking Forward
We hope the "Tea Party" favorites we sent to Washington in 2010, who must be frustrated by their own comrade Republicans in name only, will hold to their principles and prudence and do the right thing for the country. We pray they will reject the lure of special interest sirens, unlike most of the rest of Congress; that they will not end up transforming themselves into corrupt scam artists working against America.
Look for the coming Congressional debates on raising the Debt Ceiling. Why would they not raise it? They love to spend. They see no need to restrain themselves.
"There is no means of avoiding the final collapse of a boom brought about by credit (debt) expansion. The alternative is only whether the crisis should come sooner as the result of a voluntary abandonment of further credit (debt) expansion, or later as a final and total catastrophe of the currency system involved." ~~Economist Ludwig von Mises
Washington believes their own lies and deceit — we must keep telling them the truth.
© Bonnie Alba
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