Stimulus money is wasted unless the government is fierce about not letting our country slip into third world status.. Something like running a marathon of five miles. You sign up for five miles but after running three miles you decide to call it quits… you never finish and you never win.
The economy needs all the government can give and then more. We can pay back the deficit when we are working again and making money. Not just getting by.
By the way, the part about third world status… a gentleman, a Portugese immigrant, said these words at a family gathering over 25 years ago. His exact words were “I hope I die before seeing America become a third world country.” Interesting.
Yes and just a couple of years ago at an “economic summit” in NY called together by Senator Charles Schumer, one of the presenters made a case as to how and why the US would be a third world country within 20 years. I do not know how compelling a case he made but he was not the first to “connect the dots”, to see the signs of our national decline. There is no conspiracy. We have done this to ourselves and we continue to be our own worst enemies.
Progressives are as guilty as conservatives in an ideological fanaticism that allows no compromise on any and all issues. We have so demonized each other that the mutual backlash has turned many of us into real demons incapable of seeing the cliff we are headed for, or worse, demonically wishing a “noble” Armageddon to end our history in a blaze of narcissistic self destruction.
Lincoln once said “We must dis-enthrall ourselves and then we shall save our country” The immediate context for these words was equally prophetic and helpful.. But the thing about prophets is that they, usually, like Lincoln himself, were killed, and so people learned many horrible lessons all by themselves. It would be nice if we could avoid all that . . . . . and save our country too.