The Failing States

For those of you who pay close attention, listen to Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, and/or other right of center commentators, you are well aware of the US's national debt and exponentially growing deficits. Though the official amount is hovering around $12,000,000,000,000 (Trillion - using the zeros makes a bigger impact than spelling it out). When unfunded government mandates - which have harmed the states - are added in, our total debt jumps up to $105,000,000,000,000 (Trillion again). Now I don't know about you, but I'm not entirely sure that the value of the land, resources, and buildings in the whole US of A are worth $105 Trillion. With a population of 300,000,000 (million) if you were born today, you would come into the world OWING $3,500,000! That is your share of the debt. Considering that most people will earn between $600,000 and $1,000,000 in their lifetime, it is impossible to pay off. When you owe that much money you are not free, you are a serf.

Of course the national debt isn't the whole picture. Forty-three of the fifty states are facing budget shortfalls. If you can, you may want to consider moving to Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, Alaska, Texas, Indiana, or West Virginia which will balance their budgets or have modest surpluses in FY 2010. We're all aware of California's budget problems and the fact that they are facing a $23 Billion budget gap. Naturally the leftist loonies in Sacramento are considering hefty tax increases which will drive anyone of means and businesses from the state. The state of New York faces economic collapse as well and millionaires are bailing out of both the city and state like mad.

My adopted state - the People's Republic of Washington - is facing an $8 Billion shortfall this year which places it in the top 10 nationwide for percent of budget deficit ratio. Now to my surprise, Governor Skeletor (Gregoire) has proposed what I believe to be rational changes. She has proposed cuts in state health care assistance and suspension of pay increases for state workers and teachers. I don't think she went far enough on those but at least it is a start. It appears that she, unlike many other state and local legislators, has realized that taxpayers are no longer going to accept threats of cuts in ambulances, police, and other ESSENTIAL services. No doubt the unions are already pressing legislators in Olympia against these cuts but after Boeing announcing that it will be taking more jobs to Right to Work states, the unions may be losing power in Washington.

Down in the Soviet Socialist Republic of Oregon, they face a $1 Billion shortfall. The governor there has proposed a 1.2% across the board budget cut. That seems to be a bit of a panic response and cuts like that rarely get through because they hit too many sacred cows at once. This may have been a play for time to sit down and push for certain cuts but we always have to be aware that when a politician talks about a cut, it is usually a cut in the amount they are increasing spending rather than an actual cut in spending. But like Gregoire, he might be realizing that his taxpayers are ready to revolt as well.

Then there is my true home state of Idaho. Idaho is facing a $411 gap in its 2010 budget. It is also the only one of the three run by Republicans. Even so it spends far too much on non-essential services; many of which are aimed at the currently non-existent tourist industry. (My ire at the conversion of Idaho's economy from resource to tourist based could take up an entire blog of its own. Needless to say, being a tourist based economy SUCKS!!!)

Across the nation we have banded together to demand that our governments stop spending money that we don't have. We have been ridiculed by the press - except for Fox News Channel - for this. We have been called names by the likes of Nancy Pelosi and Bill Clinton (I guess he stopped feeling our pain). Some are stuck in the party politics game but many are realizing that the only difference between Republicans and Democrats has been how fast they are sending our hand basket to Hell.

It is unlikely that our Fascist trio (Obama, Pelosi, and Reid) will ignore our demands and continue spending anyway. We are at least three generations in debt (four if you're a Baby Boomer) which means that the great grandchildren of people my age could be out of debt IF and only IF we start acting like responsible adults right now. We need to stop electing people based on what they promise to give us and start asking them what they will do to pay off what we owe without turning the US into a Third World country. I'm willing to forgo a lot if it means that future generations will have a better life than me. I've had it pretty good already and wouldn't mind clearing some of the junk out of my house and life. I'd much rather give that up and start buying less than giving up my freedom.