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Townhall...
America Badly Needs
Leaders
By Star Parker
As negotiations in Washington on this year’s budget (already halfway
into the year that this budget is for) come to a head, the rumor mill
points to a Washington-as-usual result. That is, split the
differences down the middle.
But, as King Solomon taught us, resolving a dispute by splitting the
difference is not always a sign of virtue.
Republicans want to cut $61 billion from a budget of almost $4 trillion
with a deficit of $1.6 trillion.
Current interest payments on the national debt, some $200 billion,
dwarf these proposed cuts that Democrats are labeling “extremism.”
From a purely political perspective, there are reasons to expect
Republican feet to start turning to clay.
First, Democrats and Republicans know that in the 1995 showdown that
resulted in shutting down the government, Democrats and Bill Clinton
came up the political winners. Although circumstances are very
different today from then, that history certainly looms large in
political minds.
Second, it’s a good bet that current polling gives pause to many
Republicans. Polls show that although in the abstract Americans
are concerned about the size of government and runaway spending and
debt, when you get down to specific programs, there is little positive
sentiment for making significant cuts in the big areas that would make
a difference.
And third, there is a critical difference today between the two
parties. Ideological differences pose a much greater internal
problem today to the Republican Party than to the Democrats.
Republicans have today within their ranks some individuals that
actually stand for something. Democrats, who have fair party
unanimity in their comfort level to go on growing government and
aborting our children forever, relish watching internal Republican
tensions and potential splits over principle.
So taking things to the brink is just fine with Democrats. They
don’t see any big problem to begin with and by the calculations noted
above, Republicans would bear all the political costs.
And they may be right.
Even the Wall Street Journal editors are urging on Republicans to
compromise, arguing that getting any cuts at all is an achievement
these days and that they should move on and gird for the next big
battle.
But the key assumption that always enables putting off until tomorrow
is the assumption that there will be a tomorrow.
Or, in the words of Lincoln, “You cannot escape the responsibility of
tomorrow by evading it today.”
The real question is how deeply every single politician who supposedly
represents our interests in Washington believes we are in crisis.
How much do they believe that, ultimately, things will go on and be
just fine no matter what we do?
The polls that show weakness in public sentiment for real reforms and
substantial cuts in government should not be taken by politicians as
justification for caving in but as a message for the need for real
leadership today.
Too many Americans are just not getting it. And how could
they? Most folks are busy with their work and
families. How can they possibly understand what lurks behind the
huge budget numbers they read about, what sprawling government really
means, and why it is sucking out our vitality, undermining our freedom,
and destroying our nation.
Great political role models today are two freshman politicians from
Florida – Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fl) and Congressman Allen West (R-Fl).
Both have publicly drawn lines in the sand on the budget and debt limit
debate and both have had the courage to speak about entitlement reform
despite representing a geriatric state.
Democrats are drawing a target on the back of West, a conservative
black elected in a liberal white district. West is a man of real
courage driven not by fear but by conviction and patriotism.
Freedom is not an entitlement. Without this kind of leadership,
we will be toast.
Read it at Townhall
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