Monday, October 08, 2007

Charge It to My Kids - New York Times

Charge It to My Kids - New York Times

Friedman is on target again with yesterday's op-ed piece. It drives me nuts that we continue to fund not only the Iraq War but upper class tax cuts and out of control government spending by borrowing on our kids' - including my kids'! - futures. the Republicans abandoned fiscal conservatism during the Reagan era and haven't looked back. Democrats have been loath to call for tax increases alongside spending reducations for fear that the Republicans will shine the spotlight only on the tax increases and the label of "tax and spend liberals" will be back.

But it's time for someone - anyone!!! - to start treating the American people like intelligent adults. Heck, even Ross Perot with his wacky personality was able to get deficit reduction on the front burner. You can't tell me that there isn't one major candidate in either party who couldn't pull off a similar feat this time around.

It is unconscionable that we continue to mortgage our children's future because we are not willing to pay our own bills, tighten our belts, or make some minor sacrifices. The resulting federal debt and reluctance to consider even sensible new taxes to pay for things like research into new sources of energy have tied our hands and limited our ability to invst for our - and our kids' future as well. So now our kids face a lifetime of paying for our inability to pay our own bills or invest in their future.

It's disgusting. It's not the American way - at least not the one my parents, part of the Greatest Generation, brought me up to be proud of.

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