Standard & Poor's understands what the White House and most of Congress doesn't: Our massive and growing debt is a very real problem with potentially devastating consequences. It must be addressed and with intelligence and vigor.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/18/usa-ratings-washington-idUSN1820751820110418
Both sides will claim to be responding to this, but last week we saw the folly of those claims, when the establishment types in DC attempted to foist on We the People a complete charade of a budget deal. After weeks of wrangling, a $14 trillion debt and a $1.6 trillion deficit was responded to with a supposedly $39 billion in spending cuts, which ended up being about $350 million for 2011.
Are we really supposed to believe all the same people will, a week later, have a serious plan to rescue the nation's fiscal situation?
The Obama speech last week was just the same old class warfare message, sock it to the rich and keep government in the business of spending, spending, spending because, doggone it we deserve it.
The Ryan plan is more about spending cuts, but upon closer examination its all about mechanic-type stuff, fixing this and that with an air brush when reconstructive surgery, and a complete change in outlook about the purpose of federal government, is what is really needed.
The budget from the folks at the Republican Study Committee is the closest thing I've seen to serious so far, and it will hardly see the light of day in the House of Representatives.
We still need major changes in personnel, attitude and probably, circumstances, before we can really address this responsibly and effectively. I just hope there is something left of the dream to salvage by the time enough people realize it.
