Will our leaders do what must be done? Don't hold your breath.

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Does anyone believe that our political leadership will do what has to be done?

I was looking at comments over at CDR Salamander, when commenter John wrote the following:

We must stop the spending.

We must not make any new entitlement programs.

We must cut back on existing entitlement programs.

We must end "refundable" tax credits.

We must raise Social Security and medicare eligibility ages.

We must cut federal employees (less DOD servicememebers).

We must cut federal wages and benefits- especially Congress.

We must abolish public employee unions.

We must curtail non-productive "feel good" education programs.

We must abolish entire departments of the federal government (Education and Energy immediately, others tomorrow.)

We must teach our children to live within their incomes, even if it is a lower standard of living than they expect.

We must allow imprudently run states and cities to go bankrupt, and not bail them out with federal funds.

We must end the self imposed costs from needless envrionmental[sic] regulations.

We must elect steel spined Conservative officials, not tax and spend Democrats or the slightly less evil RINO Republican cousins.

We must enforce our borders and deny public benefits to illegal immigrants.

Or we will be an inflation racked third world country, a colony of China and/or Mexico within a decade.

I responded this way:

Absolutely correct in all respects. The problem? No one in government has the courage to do what must be done, and politically, an even shorter political life expectancy if they try.

How many of those we elect are, in fact, prepared to risk their political futures on principle? How many are willing to risk it all to take the steps to right our ever-listing ship of state before the inevitable happens?

AFAIK, only 3 of the incoming congressional class made the determination to turn down the Cadillac health care plan they all get once they're sworn in. Only 3 were actually ready to put principle ahead of their own needs/wants.

Those who advocate for cuts will be targeted by unions and portrayed by a willing media as uncaring child-killers and the like... to become road kill by the next election.

The choice the people will make is to pick between one side, who will cheerfully redistribute our wealth to those most willing to spend it, or the other side; the side which has and is paying attention and who, like we mostly do, see a european-style response to our efforts to avoid an increasingly imminent bankruptcy.

Far too many Americans have forgotten the Kennedy-esque virtue of not asking our country what it can do for us. Far too many have the entitlement attitude drilled into them from birth.

And as common sensical and obvious as the remarks of John and the CDR are, their implementation appears to be impossible... much like trisecting an angle using a compass and a straight edge.

We are in serious trouble. And the people don't particularly care, because in all of this, they must get theirs first.

And we are in serious trouble. So far, those we have elected on both sides of the aisle have failed us at every level when it comes to doing what must be done.

Locally, our commissioners even increased our taxes to avoid requiring county employees to pay some portion of their health care premiums. That clearly illustrates that they either don't know... or don't care... about how serious our situation is.

And the lack of courage on the part of those who would lead us is not particularly re-affirming.
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