Guest post: How Many Warnings Do We Need?

How Many Warnings Do We Need?

Colonel Donald J. Myers USMC (Ret)
 

The city of Detroit has filed for bankruptcy and we seem to merely shrug our shoulders as though it is not unusual, but it is. It is the latest warning and example about what happens when a government grows, becomes corrupt, and is concerned about power and not the people. In the 1950's Detroit had the highest average individual income in the country and was the fourth largest city in the country. It has been run by the left (democrats) for over fifty years. Over forty percent of the citizens are functionally illiterate. Typical services that a city provides are significantly lacking in this city. Almost half of the population has left for other areas where it is safer and has better schools just to name two key elements. Other smaller cities have declared bankruptcy, but this is special when one looks at what Detroit was and what it has become.

Look at what is happening in Europe. Greece is near bankruptcy as are Portugal, and Italy. None of these countries arrived at this position overnight, but each has grown government and created more and more people who are dependent on the largesse of government. In addition, they depended on the military umbrella of the United States and did not spend a lot on money on their defense so they cannot blame their demise on military spending.

California was once the trend setter in our country. Their schools, freeways, and silicon valley were the envy of every other state. That no longer is true. Their schools are near the bottom in performance, the infrastructure is decaying, and companies are leaving in droves because of taxes and regulations. The bureaucracy in the state continues to grow. The only saving feature in the state is the great weather but how long can that keep residents in the state when everything else is going to the dogs.

Many of our states were also in terrible straits until some conservatives were elected as governors and corrected the process. Look at the states that seem to be doing well as compared to those that aren't. The difference is conservative leadership in most cases. Their leaders understand that you can not spend more money than you have. That obviously is not understood in many states and cities.

Our government has grown by leaps and bounds and ObamaCare will control one sixth of our economy when it is fully implemented. Sadly, the IRS will be responsible for ensuring that it is in compliance with the thousands of pages of regulations. Wow, that really gives me a feeling of relief especially after what we learned about their performance in harassing conservative organizations.

What is necessary to wake up the Americans who are paying the bills? I fully understand that those who rely on the government for their sustenance will be more than happy for the government to continue down the current path. They do not understand that those paying the bills will eventually stop paying them and the entire system will collapse. Before that happens, we must convince our representatives to stop the madness. We are in the majority and must use it.

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Donald J. Myers a retired colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps, is a regular columnist for Hernando Today. He lives in Spring Hill and can be contacted at dmyersusmc@aol.com.