Since I usually ramble on about whats going on in my life, I thought I might try something a little different this week. I read the newspaper, listen to the radio, and watch TV every day. For the last week every headline and news lead has been about the same subject. I dont ever recall this much attention given to one event. Unless you have been unconscious for the last two weeks you have been made keenly aware of the debt crisis. It is being debated 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and everyone seems to have an opinion on it. All the economists are predicting the end of life as we know it if a deal is not struck. All the politicians are promising there will be a deal in time to avoid the life-altering crisis. Am I the only one who finds this whole scenario hilarious. We are so caught up in the consequences of failure that we have lost sight of the lunacy of so-called success.
It is easy to get upset about the United States of America losing its triple A credit rating. Some think it would be an embarrassment to the country. Others see the interest going up on the national debt as a problem. Still others worry about our ability to borrow in the future. In the last 10 years the debate has gone from should we have a national debt at all to how can we make it bigger and not feel bad about it. A balanced budget is an impossible dream, let alone paying back the 14, soon to be 17, trillion dollar debt.
The fact that the House of Representatives, the United States Senate, and the President of this country just wasted two weeks on the wisdom of writing a bad check for $2.4 trillion should be a little unsettling to most of us. If that isnt enough to make you nervous, consider that the Congressional Budget Office predicts one to two trillion dollar deficits for the next 10 years with no additional expenditures, and the expiration of the Bush tax cuts.
Our government is nothing more than a reflection of our society. We elect politicians based on what they will give us, and to get elected they have to give a lot away. All of us see a problem with out of control spending, but we all have an expenditure that we consider important, and the politicians have to cater to enough folks to get elected. Our future is already playing out in Greece and Ireland. At some point we will have to go begging for money, then the creditors will tell us how to spend it. Until then you might as well enjoy the party.
On to another subject we have no control over, the weather. This heat is getting old for me. Being fat and out of shape makes doing most things a chore to start with. Add that to 90 degree days and most activities become downright unpleasant. I dont expect any sympathy; it just makes me feel better to complain. I did have a great weekend though. Doodles and I went to the Bean Days Mounted Shoot. It was a smaller shoot than the others we had been to, and it was great getting done early. Once again everyone there was a pleasure to be with, and both of us did well. I enjoy this sport more every time I participate.
Catch you later, Rick
