Current headlines read: ‘White House Warns of Military ‘Destruction’ in $110 Billion Sequestration Cuts.’
Sequestration refers to Congress’ and Obama’s decision, back in 2010, to postpone domestic spending cuts until after the upcoming presidential election. It amounts to neither side taking a stand.
Democrats are (unadmitted) socialists, and don’t want to cut any spending outside of defense; in fact, they want unlimited spending for social programs as far as the eye can see.
Republicans claim to want cuts in non-defense spending, in principle, but in practice they have never, ever delivered. Ronald Reagan, the most conservative Republican politician to date, merely cut the rate of increases in domestic spending. George W. Bush and the Republican Congress of the early 2000s actually increased it. Today’s Republicans simply seem paralyzed, which is probably one reason Obama and the Democrats are looking more likely to win in November, despite the dismal state of the economy governed by their policies.
When you read the world ‘sequestration,’ think: Evasion. Evasion is the refusal to face known facts. It’s the attempt to wish away or ‘blank out’ facts of reality.
Come January 2013, as it stands, defense will take the hit for the unprecedented national deficit and national debt. Defense is one of the few enumerated powers granted to the federal government by the U.S. Constitution. Nowhere in the Constitution is there power for the federal government to provide health insurance; retirement insurance; subsidies to auto companies; subsidies to failing banks; subsidies to miserably mediocre public schools, and all the rest. Yet funds for these programs are increased for as far as the eye can see, by both parties—while subsidies for national defense are to be drastically cut.
Republicans say defense cuts are bad, and blame the Democrats. Democrats claim to believe defense cuts are bad (although most Democrats have never been fans of defense), and blame the Republicans.
The culprit is neither party individually. The culprit is evasion. The evasion of our politicians is made possible by the evasion of a majority of Americans.
The evasion of the majority of Americans is illustrated by the following:
The demand of most Americans, in election after election, that politicians ‘do something’ to ‘save’ Medicare and Social Security. The government’s own numbers prove that these programs cannot be sustained, over the long run. Even assuming we get back to an economy that actually grows, rather than remains stagnant—something that hasn’t happened for a number of years now—Medicare and Social Security cannot provide benefits to the grandchildren of today’s retirees, and not likely to their children, either.
It’s almost suicide for any politician to even hint at this fact. Romney’s running mate, Paul Ryan, courageously did so about a year ago. He was nearly drummed out of office and out of town. This is because the people did not like his hinting at the truth. Granted, Paul Ryan incorrectly claims that Medicare and Social Security can be ‘saved’ through a complex voucher system rather than simple privatization for the next generation of retirees. It cannot be, and Paul Ryan undoubtedly knows this. It behooves today’s young people and even middle-aged people to face the reality these programs will literally implode in due course—probably sooner than we know, if the economy continues not to appreciably grow.
Almost nobody wants to face hard facts. The inevitable cognitive result is: Evasion.
The psychological process of evasion, if it could speak, would say: ‘If I don’t think about it, or focus on it, then it won’t be true.’ (When this process becomes automatic or “second nature,” we call it denial.)
Sure, both parties are being evasive. But it’s ultimately the people themselves who are to blame. The politicians are simply dancing to the people’s tune. And the people’s tune is, in essence: ‘I don’t want to hear about the numbers. I want my Medicare, I want my Social Security, and I want my grandchildren to have them too. Fix it!’
This leads to the game-playing and disingenuous manipulation that passes for ‘public discourse’ in today’s world. It’s the only way politicians can stay in power, or so they fear.
The truth is hard, but simple. Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security are bankrupting our government and gradually bringing down our economy. Obamacare, which was passed only because of the failure of Medicare and Medicaid, will make matters even worse. Cuts in other areas—such as the federal department of education and foreign aid to dictators—are necessary, but they won’t be enough. Until people face the fact that the only solution is a free market in medical care and retirement pensions, there’s not ever going to be a solution. And the problem will only grow worse, regardless of who’s in charge.
The Pentagon—the very source of our national security—will soon be taking the hit for people’s refusal to face facts and the unwillingness of their ‘leaders’ in academia, the media and Washington DC. to state the simple truth.
Read ‘sequestration’ as evasion. And if you wish to stop evading, then start planning a future in a totally privatized economy without any Medicare, Social Security or Obamacare. Because it’s coming either way, whether you choose to face the truth about our collapsing entitlement state or not.
Be sure to “friend” Dr. Hurd on Facebook. Search under “Michael Hurd” (Rehoboth Beach DE). Get up-to-the-minute postings, recommended articles and links, and engage in back-and-forth discussion with Dr. Hurd on topics of interest.