Shortcuts Don't Work America: Diet Pills, The Stimulus, and Our Weakening Resolve

The DC Writeup ^ | July 21, 2009 | AJ Fluehr

[PorkBarrelPolitics]

...The idea of sacrificing anything as a country is so mid-20th century and more than a little distasteful. Remember Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson writing about sacrificing at the altar of freedom and refreshing the tree of liberty with the blood of patriots? Seems a bit disgusting now. I mean blood? Icky. And altars…let’s not even get started on religion, it’s not PC to worship anything anymore, even freedom.

But don’t worry, you don’t have to take my word for it. Let’s examine some examples:

Spending – The stimulus bill embodies this “easy route” attitude. Let’s review, the country is in dire economic straits, we are hemorrhaging money, and if ever a situation called out for fiscal responsibility, this is it. Instead of cutting unneeded spending and focusing time and money on useful projects, we have taken an indiscriminate approach; millions on small airports, millions for playgrounds, and thousands for some fancy new bicycles and Segways. After all, it’s much easier to put up a bill, let it get jam packed with pork, and not take the time to make sure the projects are effectively targeted. As long as the right people get the political credit, the easy route works just fine, regardless of the consequences. ...