Welcome to your future

Heard about the riots in France? Greece? Demonstrations in the UK and Ireland? I can't say that I've looked everywhere, but in looking over the national news lately I can't say that these stories have been highlighted by media outlets around here. And why not? The media doesn't want to make a big deal about these stories because they are a glimpse of what we have to look forward to here. They are the stark images of what lays down the road of big government and socialist policies ... a road that we seem to be skipping happily down blindfolded to all of the pitfalls and potholes that litter its path.

The problem in Greece is, of course, that the government is BROKE ... they have no money ... but the government unions are rioting in protest of pay and benefit cuts, other groups are protesting and rioting against cutting spending (benefits) to social programs. The problem in France is that Government Retirement pensions are reaching critical mass and to try and stave of problems the government is trying to raise the retirement age to 62 from 60.

These governments are looking down the barrel of financial trouble and are trying to take the steps needed to get their financial house in order, but their opposition chooses to use violence and fear as their tactic to influence the situation. In France they have shut down public transportation, blockaded fuel depots causing a fuel shortage, barricaded access to airports disrupting passengers and flights, smashed store windows, burned cars, and become increasingly violent over the last week inuring 62 police officers.

Why? Because they feel that raising the retirement age could be the first step in eroding their other benefits ... which include long vacations, contracts that make it hard (or impossible) for an employer to fire employees, and a state subsidized health system that is draining the economy, in favor of a more 'American style' capitalist system.

Except here in America we're heading the opposite direction. We're heading straight down the road to those riots ... we are seeing a glimpse of our future, but we're turning a blind eye to it in the hopes that if we don't recognize it or acknowledge it that somehow we'll avoid it.

The government of the US is already essentially broke, we are spending much more than the government receives .... running much of our social programs and even essential government functions with borrowed money. This is an unsustainable policy, in many cases we are borrowing money to pay the interest on the loans we already had .... the national debt has increased every year since before Carter ... the much touted Clinton 'surplus' was a projection that assumed that nothing in the economy would change over the fifteen years following the report. Of course the report was before the 'dot com' bust that lead to the economic recession that started in Clinton's last year.

We have got to get spending under control in this country or we will be forced to when our economy crashes like Greece's. This is going to require some tough decisions and, more than likely, the elimination or drastic reduction in many if not all social programs. This is not going to be popular with the recipients of those programs, many of whom are proud career government leaches. These people, and the government unions whose over inflated salaries and pensions will likely come under the knife as well tend to be of a more mob mentality; a mentality that justifies and exonerates the tactics currently being used in France.

The longer we travel down the road of socialism the harder it is going to be to turn around and get our country back on track and in line with the goals of our founding fathers. We need to turn it around sooner rather than later ... it needs to start on November 2nd with these mid-term elections ... and it needs to start with an informed voting base.

DON'T just vote for Republicans just because they're not Democrats .... admittedly the Democrats (and particularly the top leadership of this Democrat administration) are largely responsible for accelerating this trip down the road we're on, but that doesn't mean that Republicans have all the answers either. Know the issues and the candidates stances on them ... Don't vote based on party, but on policy. Likewise don't vote for Democrats just because they aren't Republicans ... and don't vote for any candidate just because they are in a particular party.

DON'T just vote for someone just because they are running against an incumbent. There is a major anti-incumbent mentality out there, and I do believe that many of those that are currently in office (in both parties) need to be thrown out on their ears. But voting against an incumbent for no reason other than the fact that they are an incumbent is as just as bad as voting FOR him just because he is currently in the office. You need to know their voting record, know their opponent's stance, make sure that the person that you are voting for is, in your opinion at least, the person that is BEST suited for the job, if it so happens that they currently already have the job, then maybe they need to stay after all.

If you can not be bothered to make the effort to make an informed vote then please don't make the effort to go to the polls and vote, because it is uniformed votes that are the most dangerous to this country.

"The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all." - John F. Kennedy