WSFA.com: News Weather and Sports for Montgomery, AL.Editorial: Cut the Debt

Editorial: Cut the Debt

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By John Shryock - bio | email

  • Editorials

  • Friday, May 18 2012 7:20 PM EDT2012-05-18 23:20:53 GMT
    If you text and drive it's a matter of WHEN and not IF you will be involved in an accident. The odds are stacked against you when your eyes and hands are more focused on your cell phone than they are
    If you text and drive it's a matter of WHEN and not IF you will be involved in an accident.  The odds are stacked against you when your eyes and hands are more focused on your cell phone than they are the other motorists on the roadways.

  • Tuesday, May 15 2012 7:20 PM EDT2012-05-15 23:20:31 GMT
    On our editorial suggesting that the governor raise taxes to fund Medicaid, we received these comments: "If the budget is passed at this severely cut rate, the shortage of physicians, hospitals, and clinics
    On our editorial suggesting that the governor raise taxes to fund Medicaid, we received these comments:

  • Tuesday, May 1 2012 7:20 PM EDT2012-05-01 23:20:35 GMT
    If your commute includes I-85 in the mornings I'm sure you've noticed men alongside the roadways picking up trash and road debris and thought to yourself "who would want to do that?"
    If your commute includes I-85 in the mornings I'm sure you've noticed men alongside the roadways picking up trash and road debris and thought to yourself "who would want to do that?"

  • Friday, April 20 2012 7:20 PM EDT2012-04-20 23:20:42 GMT
    For the next sixty seconds I want you to give yourself permission to push pause on whatever you are doing and listen and reflect for a moment. I did this recently after reading an article titled "Top five

  • Wednesday, April 18 2012 7:27 PM EDT2012-04-18 23:27:31 GMT
    Representative Christopher John England (Tuscaloosa) has sponsored a bill in the Alabama legislature that would allow convicted felons of drug crimes to receive food stamps under certain circumstances.

MONTGOMERY, AL (WSFA) - Babies born today will face a grim reality by the time they are in college: interest on the debt and benefits for Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security will consume the entire federal budget.  There will be no money left for anything else.       

Clearly, we can't let that happen.  It will literally be the downfall of our country if we let it happen.  The time to prevent it from happening is now.  It will take backbone and hard choices from our elected leaders. It will also take pressure from us to make sure those leaders address the issue. 

To lower interest payments on the debt, we need to lower the debt. To do that, we need to cut spending.   The federal government is spending more than 100 billion dollars this year alone in Afghanistan.  That is not sustainable.  The double wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have cost us over a trillion dollars.  

Raising the retirement age to 70 will help address the Social Security benefits shortfall but unless health care costs decrease this sacrifice by those now entering the work force won't matter. 

The federal government can't live beyond its means any longer.  It is borderline unconscionable that we have allowed it to happen this long.  

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