OK, here’s the scenario.
You are told by your family physician that you have a deadly – but treatable – form of cancer. They didn’t catch it early, but with an aggressive approach your chances of survival are still very good.
Your doctor recommends two different oncologists and so, you meet with them both.
The first oncologist tells you that he opposes surgery as being too risky and instead, advises a mild regimen of chemotherapy. “With any luck,” he says, “we may be able to buy you a little extra time.”
Doctor #2 takes an entirely different approach. “Let’s schedule you for surgery first thing tomorrow morning and follow that up with a series of chemotherapy and radiation treatments.”
“I think we can whip this thing,” he states with confidence.
Which doctor do you pick – the manager or the healer?
Turn your attention to Washington DC and apply this analogy to the ongoing debate about the fiscal cliff. America’s economy is the patient and deficit spending is the potentially fatal disease.
So who do you want handling the country’s medical – make that, economic – treatment? Political cowards who want to manage the crisis or true statesmen who want to fix it once and for all?
The problem with the former is that they care more about getting perpetually re-elected than they do about providing a lasting solution to our country’s economic woes. They take the easy way out because they realize that a lasting solution will require tough choices and real sacrifices for everyone – and that may cost them votes.
And so, for the umpteenth time, they make a few minor adjustments and then kick the deficit can down the road for someone else to deal with at a much later date.
These near-sighted political hacks can only see as far as the next election or, in some cases, their comfortable retirement compliments of the American taxpayer.
But what America really needs is some bold bipartisan leadership provided by public servants willing to put the country’s interests above their own.
Enough of the political maneuvering that seeks to paint the opposition party in a bad light. Stand together and do the right thing for the right reasons and let the political chips fall where they may.
Think back to the Greatest Generation of the 1940’s. Faced with a nefarious enemy, actually two of them, they willingly sacrificed their creature comforts – and in many cases, their lives – to win a lasting victory.
Use less butter and sugar, and eat less meat? No problem. Forgo new tires and even hosiery so our soldiers will have the resources to fight more effectively? You’ve got it.
Drive less and keep my speed below 35 mph? It’s the least I can do. Plant a victory garden and grow my own vegetables? How many rows of corn do you want?
After all, as the popular slogan said, “There’s a war on, you know!”
Well, there’s a war going on in America today, too. Only this one is not between our country and Nazi Germany or Imperial Japan.
On the contrary, this war is amongst ourselves.
On one side are those who – because of cowardice and self-interest – refuse to act boldly and sacrificially. They are led by career politicians, special interest groups and other Washington insiders and their ranks are comprised of people who care more about themselves than the common good.
On the other side are a relative handful of patriots who are willing to put country above self; to do what is right for future generations at the potential expense of this one.
I would rather be counted in the latter group of patriots and pray that enough people in the halls of Congress – and in neighborhoods across America – are willing to join me.
Seriously? You're blaming one group on this? Let me guess which is the "patriots"….
You do know, of course, that poll after poll blames the republicans for still being the obstructionists and in one poll, over 60% agree with the Presidents plan and compromise.
You need to take a better look at who exactly are the Patriots here…you seem a little myopic.
Rick, you missed the entire focus of my article. It's not about Republicans or Democrats; it's about career politicians who care more about getting re-elected than about doing what is necessary to get the job done. And in order to get the job done, some hard choices are going to have to be made. Yes, the GOP is going to have to go along with some tax increases on the wealthy and yes, the Democrats are going to have to cut some entitlements for the poor. All I'm calling is for political courage on Capitol Hill and in the White House…instead of finger-pointing and political gamesmanship. America desperately needs real statesmen who will sign onto a bipartisan measure like Simpson-Bowles regardless how it affects their own political futures.