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Jewish World Review August 9, 2011 / 9 Menachem-Av, 5771 America Downgraded! By Cal Thomas
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | My father was a product of the Great Depression and World War II. Like so many others of his generation, he, like his parents before him, knew how to "do without." When he told us, "we can't afford it," that did not mean our family was deprived of material things we deserved, instead it marked a boundary not to be crossed because on the other side, waiting to greet us, were the twin demons of bad credit and financial ruin. "Always pay the bank," was my father's sound advice. And so I have, which is why my credit score remains high. Not so with the This would be shameful if America had any shame left. In our race to give everyone what they want, politicians have failed miserably to give us what we need. Saying "no" is not in their vocabulary. Living within our means has been replaced with "entitlement," "spreading the wealth around" and "fairness." Instead of promoting people who have made right decisions that have allowed them to be self-sustaining and contribute to the nation's health and strength, President Obama and congressional Democrats ridicule and seek to penalize the successful (while happily receiving their campaign contributions). Success and wealth are frowned upon, while failure and poverty are a kind of preferred righteousness worthy of being subsidized by the "evil" productive. This attitude is the polar opposite of the optimistic, risk-taking and reward culture that built and sustained America through previous economic downturns. And it has become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Who will lead us out of this mess and make the necessary spending cuts?
That is where we are with the recent debt-ceiling agreement. It means little to
What don't liberals understand about bloated government? Instead of a commission made up of politicians who created the problem, outside auditors with no political connections should be brought in and empowered to eliminate every government agency that does not produce services essential to strengthening the nation. They can start with the Departments of Education, which does not educate, Energy, which produces none, In April, Treasury Secretary
Getting that
JWR contributor Cal Thomas is co-author with Bob Beckel, a liberal Democratic Party strategist, of "Common Ground: How to Stop the Partisan War That is Destroying America". Comment by clicking here.
© 2011, Tribune Media Services, Inc.
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