I begin with a statement of opinion that is bleak. I believe that the financial situation in our country is the worst in our history in terms of long-term concerns.
Yes, the Great Depression was worse in the short term. Fortunately, a war “got us out of the Depression.” During the war we created massive debt. Ending the war allowed us through military demobilization to quickly (a few short years) return to financial surpluses in federal accounts. Unfortunately there is no quick fix today for our huge national debt and continuing deficit spending.
I do not believe this is a political party issue. It is an American people issue. We the people increasingly turn to government in all forms to solve problems. As a government should in a democracy, it tries mightily to create solutions, be they in foreign matters to prevent another 9/11 or meet legitimate needs such as health care. I do not belittle any of the “needs” demanded by Americans. I would love to see all of the problems solved either by private enterprise or government, I really don’t care which.
But the simple fact is the country as a whole, privately or through government, cannot meet all the demands articulated.
I believe the “production” in this country is far behind our ability to meet expressed needs or wants. Another way of saying it is: demand is far outpacing supply in a truly macroscopic sense. And it is going to get worse. Again fundamentally, our “supply” is critically dependent on our intellectual capacity as a country. Then look at the state of education at all levels. Our ability to dramatically increase “supply” or production is going down, not up, with untold long term consequences.
My bottom line is we the people are asking far too much of our various governments. We have to stop “asking” no matter how legitimate the “needs.” Government must in turn start to say “NO, we cannot do that.”
Anson Burlingame
Joplin
Opinion
Voices: Fiscal reality
- Opinion
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Our View: Santorum's Achilles' ear
Rick Santorum knocked everyone for a loop this week, not just with his victory in Missouri but with the landslide size of the thing.
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Our View: Are school loans next 'debt bomb'?
The late American middle class struggled for decades to keep pace with an American dream slipping from its grasp.
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Our View: A better way of limit terms
A Missouri House committee on Tuesday endorsed a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow lawmakers to serve 16 years in the state Legislature, either the House or the Senate.
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Your View: Is it our fault?
When did coveting things and money take over character? What happened?
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Your View: No way to run a school
All throughout the state of Missouri, you’ll hear much discussion about teacher tenure and the indefinite contracts that go along with that. Most — if not nearly all — jobs in the private and public sectors have no such career protection.
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Your View: Prime suspects
If it’s too cool in the house, you can turn up the heat if you think you can afford it.
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Our View: Worldwide concern
There is growing concern worldwide that Israel might launch an attack on Iranian nuclear plants.
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Other Views: FAA deal up in air five years
The Federal Aviation Administration bill was delayed 23 times, but the agency finally has a law giving it $63 billion and full operating authority for the next four years.
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Don Ray, columnist: Obama's pipeline excuse an election-year cop-out
On Jan. 18, President Barack Obama announced he was rejecting the Keystone XL pipeline project — a project that had its beginnings some 40 months ago (September 2008).
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James Whitford, guest columnist: Broken people or broken system?
Are the people broken or is the system broken? If you walk into Watered Gardens, our rescue mission, it may seem the people are broken. But it’s a rescue mission. It just feels that way. And sometimes, it just looks that way.
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