Juggling Squirrel

A can kicked down a road with no end.

An unaddressed disaster for generations near and far, with implications for us all.

A beast with ownership shared by individual Americans, corporations, state and local governments, federal reserve banks, and — perhaps most concerning — foreign governments, including Japan, China, Great Britain, and others.

Getting a handle on such a dramatic debt problem will require dramatic action. The kind of bold, dramatic and drastic initiatives that neither party has thus far been willing to take. There is no escaping touching the untouchable — Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. And as much as I hate the idea of cutting defence, that needs to be looked at too as part of a broader effort to reduce/eliminate waste.

While certainly complex, in broad, simplistic strokes there are just a couple avenues of attack for addressing our national debt in any meaningful way — all painful. Painful and dramatic taxation. Painful and dramatic government cost (and services) cutting. Or, a combination of both. Even cutting waste — of which there is obviously plenty — is going to be painful to someone and will not be enough.

Ceaselessly kicking the can down an endless road can no longer be an acceptable option.

Catch up on the ever-escalating United States national debt here and take note of your share.