We live in the greatest country in the world, but if anyone questions that our nation is in decline they are simply ignoring the facts. The good news is that we have the most industrious and entrepreneurial people in the world and the greatest government framework ever conceived. If we can simply get the politicians out of the way, we have an outstanding chance to recover.
However, if we allow politicians to continue promising handouts we cannot afford, running up debts we cannot pay, and increasing the scope of government year after year, we may very well pass the tipping point, and soon.
Consider the following statistics about our great nation:
• Thirty-four percent of all children are born to unwed mothers
• Thirty-seven million people live in poverty
• Sixteen percent of the population depends on welfare
• Over 5.6 million people are in our penal system
• Over half of high school seniors admit to having used illegal drugs
• Almost 30 percent of our children fail to complete the 12th grade
• Health care costs account for 15 percent of a family’s income, excluding the 44 million Americans who do not have health care.
• We have a $9.2 trillion deficit that increases by more than $1.5 billion each day
• Over 40 percent of the population pays no income tax
• A family that makes $100,000 a year sends over $50,000 of their earnings to the government via income, payroll, property, sales, gasoline and other taxes; mounting obligations ensure they will be forced to pay even more in the future
• Our dependence on the radical Middle East is growing, with 50-70% of our oil coming from that region
• Over 20 million Americans now have asthma, an ailment largely attributed to polluted air
• As many as 10,000 illegal immigrants are crossing our borders on any given day
If we are the greatest country in the world, shouldn't we do better? How are our children going to pay for the debts OUR GENERATION is accumulating. Can you sleep at night knowing what we are doing to their future? I cannot.
When our country was formed, Thomas Paine said, "But to expend millions … is unworthy the charge, and is using posterity with the utmost cruelty; because it is leaving them the great work to do, and a debt upon their backs from which they derive no advantage. Such a thought is unworthy a man of honor, and is the true characteristic of a narrow heart and a peddling politician."
Yet our generation is spending $1.5 billion more each day than we are willing to pay in. The debt is in the TRILLIONS! Do we really need to spend more money on our military than the rest of the world combined? Do we really need to retire at age 67, so our children can pay for our leisure? Do we really need to have the biggest government in the world, in this, the land of limited government?
Do we really expect politicians will ever behave any different than they do today? Is it any surprise they will grandstand about steroid use in baseball while thirty-seven million people are living in poverty? Is it any surprise they will vociferously debate what the minimum wage should be while almost thirty percent of our kids are dropping out of high school? There is a reason that ninety percent of us are dissatisfied with politicians but ninety-five percent of them get re-elected: the system for selecting representatives is broken, rigged, or both.
If we continue to elect career politicians, I believe the fate of our nation is sealed. We must do something; changing the management team is the best place to start. GOOOH will allow us to put true representatives of the people in office, men and women who will control spending and address the issues that must be addressed. Patriots who will put their country ahead of their career, their party, and the special interest groups that fund them.
I hope you will consider the merits of GOOOH, and then tell every person you can to do the same.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
The Decline of America (Tim Cox)
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4 comments:
Very well said. Those are alarming statistics. I'll tell everyone I know, but I hope we can get enough Americans to actually turn off American Idol and do something about the mess that has been created.
I completely identify with the GOOOH concept. I heard about it on the 950 AM station in Houston.
I am going to tell about GOOOH to my family, friends and anybody that would listen. I would also like to suggest to come up with the most important, convincing arguments, a "priority list" of sorts, which couldn't be ignored by those we approach when promoting the GOOOH ideas. We ought to put together a list and "vote" on it, to see, how we think. Tim could put the initial list together, consisting of "x" items. Based on the number of items, each one of us could assign points from 1 to "x" to the individual items. After tallying up the votes, a new priority list would emerge, which could be used by all of us until a revised list is voted upon, in, let's say, a month or so. All of us could use these revised/updated lists when trying to convince our new contacts to join the movement.
Let me take a stab at this list:
1. 90% of people are dissatisfied with politicians, yet 95% are still re-elected. Is it because we are so blind and corrupt ourselves, totally biased in favor of our own congressional representatives just because they bring some "pork" to our region???
Then we are really to blame and nothing will ever change!!!
Or is the system corrupt / unworkable? Then GOOOH is the way to go!
Thanks for the opportunity to comment.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again. That says it all. We must change who we elect.
The only way to get the Average American elected is to limit Term limts to all congressmen and house members to 8 years term limits. This would insure that no one holds the office untill retirement or death. No career politicians means more people can get involved. Just think of how much the lobbist would hate having to try and grease the palms of all those new congressman!!!!every 8 years if they get reelected that is. Just think of all the NEW ideas that would flow!!!
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