Our Opinion: Partisanship plays out on high-stakes game board

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Perhaps we should put a sign outside Congress that warns: “Children playing.”

With a deadline looming a week from today, our representatives and President Obama are playing dangerous political games with our country’s economic future.

If our leaders cannot agree on a method for the U.S. to pay its bills, our country will enter the dangerous realm of defaulting on its obligations.

The national debt now exceeds $14 trillion in borrowed money and continues to grow.

We largely are in this predicament because our elected officials repeatedly have placed political expediency above courageous governing.

Rather than jeopardizing re-election by confronting the politically unpopular choices of raising taxes or cutting spending, our elected leaders and representatives have borrowed money.

Now, the debt ceiling looms. Although elected officials almost uniformly agree default is unacceptable, partisan brinkmanship continues. Each party seems intent not simply on avoiding the crisis, but on seizing the moral and political high ground. None of this is new. This is how the political game is played. The difference, this time, is the magnitude of the risk; the stakes are nothing less than our nation’s economic standing in the world. Within the coming week, the parties likely will agree to a compromise, both sides will claim victory and superior statesmanship, the borrowing will continue and the debt will increase. And despite resolution of the crisis, the game will continue.

More like this story

jctea 1 year, 10 months ago

It is the President and his party controlled Senate whom didn't want to vote on the House's plan which had a Balanced Budget Amendment. Every state, besides one, has this law that requires a balanced budget every year. That would have ended this "debt-ceiling" dispute forever. Don’t give into the drama NT.

asb 1 year, 10 months ago

I don't want a life where I cannot invest in my future by borrowing. "Never a borrower or a lender be" contradicts the natural behavior of every person, business and government throughout history. States with balanced budget laws count on tax revenues matching outlays, which always go up with the economy. Only a dying organism can afford to not grow. It's code for "now we got the public duped by FOX enough to get even more money for the rich than Bush gave us, and we can look like fiscal patriots in the process. Yes, constantly trim government budgets with the same need as we apply to regulating business self interest, each as righteous and potentially wasteful as the other, but we must grow and creating and borrowing money is how it is done.

jctea 1 year, 10 months ago

asb: How do you feeling about banks?

asb 1 year, 10 months ago

They're being OK, everybody should be having one. Their lack of loan regulating contributed greatly to the recent economic slowdown, and I wouldn't start with them in recovery stimulus as Bush did, but they are central to the flow and growth of money.

jctea 1 year, 10 months ago

I agree with you. TARP is the one thing Rs and Ds can agree on, it was wrong. Remember all the scare tactics used to get it passed? Seem familiar? We are being hosed again. The biggest threat to our individual liberty is government debt. Let's not get wrapped up in all the drama of this created crisis and set out a plan to solve the problem.

Please review our Policies and Procedures before registering or commenting

Or login with:

OpenID

News Tribune