Fools and Their Princes

     An E-mail circulating through cyberspace refers to
Barrack Obama as the Prince of Fools.  The message concluded
that the problem never is the prince of fools.  The problem is the
fools who make him their prince.  The prince is more likely a
clever manipulator than a fool.

     An article covering a poll about government spending
reminded me of the E-mail.  Many polls have found a substantial
majority want government to cut spending.  I haven't taken these
poll results seriously.  I believed that those polled only wanted
to cut spending for other people.

     I had no proof that this was true.  A recent pool reported
by Newsmax confirmed my beliefs.  "Six in 10 adults oppose
scaling back the entitlements for seniors." Also, "Three-quarters
of Americans believe the nation can get its finances in order
without touching the public safety nets. . . ."

     Newsmax also reports "The only other federal spending
that survey respondents ranked higher on their don't-touch list
was education funding."  These are the fools who select our
princes.

     What is the foolishness?  Endless studies have found no
connection between high spending and better education.   Detroit
schools have one of the highest per pupil spending rates in
Michigan.  About 8 percent of Detroit 8th graders are proficient
in reading.  Washington, D.C. spends more per student than most
schools in the US.  The results are a disaster.  The list could go
on.

     One study found statistical support for a claim that
schools that spend the least do the best jobs.  There is a vast
amount of information available supporting the idea that more
spending doesn't get better results.  Only the willfully ignorant
can miss seeing this elephant in the room.  Fools are willingly
deceived by demagogues who prey on the ignorant to achieve
the demagogues' own goals.

     School spending is far from our biggest problem. 
Medicare is the 600-pound gorilla.  Estimates of unfunded cost
for Medicare range from $70 trillion or so to $150 trillion and
beyond.

     If we stay on the present path, in a few years Medicare,
Medicaid, Social Security and interest on debt will cost more
than all federal tax revenue.  There would be nothing left for the
military, education, highways, parks, research, farm subsidies, or
anything else.   The best part would be that the entire regulatory
arm of the federal government would have to close up shop.  
      Newsmax also reported that "Survey participants named
three areas they are willing see trimmed: foreign aid, funding for
the war in Afghanistan, and salaries and benefits for government
workers."  This is a pittance.  It doesn't come close to covering
the present deficit.  In a few years the present deficit will seem
small.

     Only the ignorant believe we can save the nation from
economic collapse and bankruptcy without drastically cutting
entitlement spending, including Medicare.  Even if Medicare is
the most wonderful and beneficial thing ever devised by humans,
it doesn't matter.

     "Senior entitlements" will be cut.  The only questions are,
How? and When?  In the long run it doesn't matter who is
elected.  The cuts will come.

     We might drastically cut spending soon while we still
have a chance to avoid economic collapse and national
bankruptcy.  Or, we can wait for the spending to end when there
is nothing left to spend.  That end will come long before the
close of the 21st century.

     For so long as the fools who choose our princes remain
in their dream world of ignorance and foolishness, their princes
will talk about balancing the budget, while continuing deficit
spending.  The cuts they talk about will always be next year. 
You may have noticed.  Next year never comes.

     With 70 percent of the voters committed to big spending,
What chance do we have?  Unless, and until, millions of voters
wake up to reality, elections don't matter.  Those elections will
change nothing, except the names of the princes.

aldmccallum@gmail.com
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Copyright 2013
Albert D. McCallum