September 27, 2006
Bush Speech Offers Insight into American Politics
By Stan Dyer
Although the President is in his last term, the election wheels are starting to turn for the 2008 vote and now is a good time for voters to really start paying attention to what is being said and what it all means. One good opportunity came recently when President Bush addressed the General Assembly of the United Nations the last week of September 2007. More than just well chosen words, his speech offered some insight into the mind of American Politics.
In that speech, the President referred to the United Nations' "Universal Declaration of Human Rights". He spoke of world freedom, elimination of hunger, increased education and decreased poverty. These are all areas that the entire world needs to improve on to increase the standard of living everywhere. It was especially important to hear the President mention the strife in Darfur and Myanmar. Unfortunately, one important country needing help that the President neglected to mention was the United States, and his attitude seems to reflect the general attitude of many politicians in this country. It is as if they feel everything is just fine, and, for them, it may be. A quick look around, however, will indicate that things are not so certain for the rest of us.
The President's address came during the same week that Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson announced that the future of Social Security faces a $13.6 trillion shortfall without a hike in taxes and a slash in benefits. On the same note, the Congressional Budget Office labeled the nation's budget deficit problem as "daunting". Although the deficit is 19 billion lower than estimated, and a full $90 billion less than the record set in 2006, it is still $158 billion, and that is a pile of cash. Spending money that way may appear to boost the economy and give a false sense of economic health, but the truth is lot more revealing.
The truth is that the money to fund that deficit and the interest on it comes primarily from the sale of bonds. The people owning most of those bonds are the Chinese and Japanese. As a result, money that would have paid for new bridges, new schools, more food, and more growth in the United States is instead paying for interest on bonds to fund the national debt, and, thus, going to China and Japan. Instead of building bridges, funding schools, buying food and fueling growth here, the money is working its magic over there.
On the good side, the higher tax revenues from that pseudo-growth have limited the amount of the deficit this year, but rising health care costs threaten to erase all those gains in the near future. Additionally, if the stock market declines and the housing market continues to slump, the added revenue will disappear and the deficit will continue its meteoric climb. At one point, President Bush had amassed a budget deficit larger than the combined deficit of all 42 other Presidents, and the numbers are likely to climb higher. He and other elected officials have guaranteed, legislated income both now and after they retire for as long as they live, but what kind of future does their fiscal management guarantee the huddled masses longing to be free? Without reform, there is no doubt that there will be no Social Security for future retirees, and the administration will struggle just to meet the needs of disabled Americans who rely on and need those funds most.
Now, this is not entirely the President's fault, but, just as Herbert Hoover did in 1929, Bush stands to carry most of the blame. This is neither a Republican problem nor a Democrat problem, but, rather, an American problem.
It is good to want to help the world, and the world sure needs our help, but where is the money going to come from? Do we sacrifice the future prosperity of this country to come to the aid of our neighbors? Now, it is good to eliminate terrorism, feed hungry people, educate the masses and eliminate poverty, but we have plenty of concern with all those items right here in our own backyard. It is good to want to help your neighbor put out the fire that threatens his home, but probably not a good idea when your own house is burning just as hot. The President talked about sending more money around the world, but now may not be the best time.
Why not clean up our own budget deficit, shore up our own Social Security, fund our own schools, feed our own people and eliminate our own poverty and despair before we go next door to help out the neighbors? This election, look for those candidates who are fully aware of these issues and who will represent the American people in Washington more than they represent themselves or their parties.
In the end, we do not elect political parties; we elect people. Let's be certain we choose the right ones. Let's be certain we listen to their speeches, understand their words, and discover as much about each as we possibly can. Sure, well chosen words can be deceiving, but, if we take the time to study and consider what they say, we are certain to gain valuable insight into the mind of American Politics. The choice is up to you.