Posted by
The Real Don Johnson on Monday, October 12, 2009 10:46:24 AM
DEBT, DEBT, DEBT. In 2009, 40% of individual income taxes will go toward debt interest payments, and continues a dangerous upward trend.
So what is the connection with tea parties, you may be asking? The national debt is one of the greatest threats facing the United States of America, especially the next generations of Americans. Bear with me and I will link this threat to the tea parties later.
The debt causes a loss of freedom in two key areas; budgetary freedom, and strategic freedom. Permit me to explain.
Budgetary freedom. A couple of examples will help to illustrate this point:
- The decay of our national infrastructure was highlighted on a recent television special on the subject. Highways, bridges, dams, waterways, sewer systems across the nation are aging and in need of repair. These repairs are a legitimate function of local, state and federal government, and are very expensive. The more of our treasure is paid to the national debt, the less is available for infrastructure maintenance, and thus a loss of the budgetary freedom at all levels to address these problems. The decay will only get worse over time, and especially as less funding is available.
- The California water problem. California and the West is in the midst of a severe drought, and Gov Schwarzenegger is going to the well (pun intended) asking for more state funding to address this crisis. This in the midst of a huge state debt. Again, the problem of debt raises its ugly head; where is the money to come from? More taxes are the most obvious answer to that question, and the more Californians are taxed, and the more California business that leave the state because of a hostile business climate, the more the downward spiral continues.
The point to be made here, I believe, is that we as a nation need to be diligent in holding our elected leaders accountable for fiscal policies that are detrimental, and even destructive of our liberties. Turn the free market system loose on those problems where it has proven to be most effective, and restrict the government to those legitimate roles that only it can accomplish; national security, infrastructure maintenance etc. Hence the Tea Parties, the most effective tool that “we the (unconnected) people” have in getting the attention of our elected leaders. I encourage you to meet them; they are really a bunch of very nice people, not a whole lot unlike you and me.
Strategic freedom. The second area where we risk a loss of freedom is in the strategic area of national security. As in the case of budgetary freedom, the more treasure spent on servicing the national debt, the less is available for national security concerns. Moreover, in the arena of national security, there is an added and very ominous twist. The more debt we have, the more of it is held by foreign interests that don’t necessarily have the best interests of the United States in mind. There may very well be a present or future threat that simply can’t or won’t be addressed because either we are boxed in by obligations to a foreign nation, of we don’t have the wealth necessary for a strong defense.
Again, this illustrates the urgent need to hold our elected officials accountable, and hence the urgent need for tea party involvement.
For the sake of the generations to come, and the continuance of liberty in this, the greatest nation on God’s green earth, I urge you to recognize this problem and take steps to correct it.
Regards,
Don