“Be careful what you wish for, you might get it,” is an often quoted saying. But it is a applicable today as it was when it was first invented. Frequently, people find that although things go exactly as they planned, the results are far from what was expected.
For example, the national Democrats wished for complete control over the federal government. They now have it. They control both houses of Congress and the Presidency. They can do about anything they want to do without any support from the Republicans.
So why are they so anxious to have Republican support for their “stimulus” program? They can pass the program without any Republican votes. They can draft a plan and put it into effect totally within their own party. One would think they would be anxious to do just that. If they put together a plan that resources the nation’s economy from the present downturn, they would get all the credit. The Republican party would be left out in the cold, and Democrats would rule Washington for the next 20 years if not longer.
But what if they are wrong? What if the massive spending bill actually does more harm than good. If it fails, the bill could easily result in an even deeper depression, massive unemployment and runaway inflation while leaving our children and grandchildren with an overwhelming load of national debt to repay. If that is the outcome, then the Democrats will have to take all the blame and will probably lose their grip on power for that 20-year or longer period.
It is to protect themselves from the damage a failure will bring that they want the Republicans to be equally responsible for the program, and it looks like the Republicans have figured it out. So what we have is a massive gamble on the future of our nation. The Democrats are gambling that the massive spending bill will restore the economy and generate enough tax revenue to pay the cost of the program. Republicans are gambling that it will fail, and by failing, return the power to govern back to them.
Regardless of which party wins in this big gamble, we the people are going to lose. If the Democrats win, they will use their power to impose the kind of left-wing socialism that they have preached for many years now on our nation, and we will lose more and more of the freedoms that have made ours the greatest nation on earth. If the Republicans win, it could result in long-term damage to our economy that will allow India, China and possibly other nations to overtake us as world leaders and force the United States into something near Third World status.
We need a completely different solution to our economic problems. One that will return our economy to its primary purpose of promoting the fair and honest exchange of goods and services among our citizens while blocking the concentrations of economic power in the hands of a few “robber barons” as we now have. Only when we allow the basic rules of economics to operate without interference from the greedy and power hungry few, will our problems be solved and all of our citizens get a fair shake.
Frank Gillispie is founder of The Madison County Journal. His e-mail address is frankgillispie671@msn.com. His website can be accessed at http://frankgillispie.tripod.com/
