The presidential candidates talk about leadership and change. What’s the one question that combines both, but is not asked? Simple: What happens if it all comes crashing down?
After the worst stock market drop since 9/11, the question doesn’t seem so out of place. Our federal government’s debt is rising fast. Even if we balanced the budget tomorrow, the government would have a deep, multi-trillion dollar debt. Trillions and trillions, you might say.
So, Mr. Obama; so, Mr. McCain — what do you do when the Treasury can’t find anyone to invest in all the debt we have created, and must maintain? What do we do when the compounding of interest and increased deficits make monthly maintenance impossible?
Neither of you have even suggested a balanced budget early in your first term. So what do you do when our credit goes crunch?
Add to this the federal government’s obligations to the citizenry, in the form of Social Security retirements and Medicare and pensions and such, and what can you do?
How do you stave off — or, if not, survive — a worldwide depression?
The scenario is not fantastic. Just look at current figures and crunch the numbers.
So, what would Senators Obama and McCain say? I’d be curious what Bob Barr and Ralph Nader would say, too. Have they thought of the possibility?
This is one question that sure would make the upcoming debates interesting.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
8 replies on “A Question Worth Asking?”
Good question. Odd that you didn’t include the only candidate to ask who’s a strict Constitutionalist, a true patriot, endoresed by Ron Paul as the Constitution party’s candidate — the only true American who represents the principles that founded this great nation.
Of course, this was written before the financial markets cratered and then I updated it as I was recording it more than a week before it runs here today. When I recorded it, there was some recognition of a BIG problem. I’d claim credit for “seeing” the problem coming, but it was my editor who posited this question weeks ago when we were discussing another script.
Your questions, “How do you stave off — or, if not, survive — a worldwide depression?” “What would candidates Obama, McCain, Nader, and Barr say?”
These are indeed interesting questions & all those related questions.
They are also extremely frightening. For instance, what if no one has any sort of answer? And what if our enemies, such as Iran, decide to play along with countries like Venezuela, Chine, North Korea, Cuba, et al, and demand repayment of the credit which has been extended? How do we respond to such demands? Or perhaps, “DO WE” respond to such demands from enemies?
Regardless, those questions, and those answers, are the most frightening of my entire fifty seven year lifetime.
I WOULD MAKE SURE E‑VERIFY WAS IN EVERY STATE.
I WOULD FINE ANY BUSINESS THAT HIRES ILLEGAL ALIENS.
I WOULD MAKE SURE THAT ALL ILLEGAL ALIENS DO NOT RECEIVE ANY TAXPAYERS MONEY.
I WOULD NOT SEND ANY MONEY TO OTHER COUNTRIES.
I WOULD NOT ALLOW HEAVY TRAVEL BY CONGRESS AND ONLY AT THEIR OWN EXPENSE.
I WOULD MAKE CONGRESS RETURN ALL KICKBACKS AND THEIR CAMPAIGN FUNDS TO THE TREASURY.
I WOULD AUDIT ALL ELECTED OFFICIALS AND RESTORE ANY MONIES OR VALUE ITEMS BACK TO THE PEOPLE.
I WOULD FINE ALL BUSINESS’S THAT HAVE INFLATED THEIR CONTRACTS.
IN SHORT, I WOULD DEMAND HONESTY BE RESTORED IN OUR REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT.
the fine should be at least $1,000 per day of illegal emplyment. I know, this would make the government one of the largest business operators in the country, but most of the ones doing the hiriing would get out of it as soon as the first was prosecuted and made to pay the fine.
Next, get rid of the politicins who are on the take and put them in jail where they belong, at the same time, make them forfeit all income from the government as the government does my retirement should I be convicted of a felony-why should the professional theives get away with it, as forg face from Chicago did when he spent eighteen months in “jail?” As well as rthe clown who is an impeached judge and may still be serving as a Congressman?
Hmmm. Several of the comments by readers, above, suggest an anti-foreigner bias that would not even in the slightest way help America out if our system did, indeed, “all come crashing down.” Suggestions like “I WOULD NOT SEND MONEY TO OTHER COUNTRIES” is so economically illiterate, and would so play into the hands of political totalitarians (that is precisely the kind of thing that tinpot dictators institute), that I shudder.
If it all comes crashing down, we cannot blame foreigners. Illegal immigrants. We can only blame ourselves, our homegrown institutions. Lashing out at foreigners is typical lowbrow thinking.
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I think Klein said it all: DEMAND HONESTY BE RESTORED IN OUR REPRESENATIVE GOVERNMENT.