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Highlands Today

Our Leaders Must Tell American Public The Truth

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 15, 2008

The American people need to hear the truth, but no one's willing to give it to them. That's because the quickest way to lose an election is to tell the public something they don't want to hear - even if they desperately need to hear it.
Former Vice President Walter Mondale, while running against Ronald Reagan for president in 1980, had the audacity to tell Americans that taxes would have to be raised to fix the country. The race wasn't even close. It's true that Mondale probably wouldn't have won anyway, but it's well known in politics that telling people you are going to raise their taxes is a sure kiss of political death, even if it is necessary.

Raising taxes isn't the issue at this moment, but brutal honesty with the public is necessary. Neither presidential candidate is willing to say it out loud, but the fact is, we cannot have it all. We cannot have tax cuts, enjoy easy lending practices, provide health care for all Americans, and continue to spend, spend, spend until our hearts are content. It just doesn't work that way.

Politicians want Americans to start spending money again. What we really need to do is get out of debt and live within our means. It's a personal responsibility thing, but for whatever reason a big chunk of the American public just can't seem to do that anymore.

It's true that special interests have had a lot of influence on easy credit, high interest rates on credit cards and all kinds of schemes to trick us and our children into taking on more debt. In the end, though, it's our own fault for buying into their claims.
Keeping up with the Joneses is a national pastime. The idea of savings and living modestly just isn't possible for most Americans. They need expensive items they see their neighbors buying and can't stand the thought of not having it or explaining to their children that they cannot afford it. Deeper in debt we go.
True leaders would step forward right now and say this is what we're doing from a government standpoint to right this ship. Immediately following that statement, the real leaders would say what Americans must do the same.

We're in a war that only soldiers and their families are sacrificing for. We're waging the entire war on a credit card. There are no sacrifices the general public is making to pay for it. Unless we have a family member or friend involved, a lot of folks hardly pay any attention to the war.

It's amazing that we've ended up like this considering our parents and grandparents likely lived through the Great Depression. They learned to live an existence within their means. It's a tough lesson Americans must once again learn.

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