How To Save The Imploding Economy

As the Obama administration released his latest budget, renewed scrutiny has been focused on the economy. Without getting into the minutiae, let's cut straight to the heart of it with Noel Sheppard at NewsBusters and this sobering factoid (emphasis mine):

The 2011 budget shortfall, which is the responsibility of the previous Congress, is now projected to be $1.65 trillion.

If accurate, this means that since the Democrats took over Congress in 2007, we have posted over $5 trillion in deficits.

For the record, that's more combined non-inflation-adjusted red ink than the United States of America had created in all of the years of its existence prior to that point.

In just four years, the Democrats recorded combined deficits greater than what had been posted in the prior 220.

We had smaller deficits during the Great Depression and World War 2.

Yep, it's that bad.

In fact, Heritage Foundation predicts -- if we do not change course, and fast -- permanent trillion-dollar deficits...until the nation implodes. The immediate thing to do would be to revert current spending levels back to what they were in 2008, or, even better, 2006. Surely the government-dependent Left will moan and wail about starving senior citizens and absolutely critical social services that will be wiped out, but just ask yourself - was the government being unnecessarily frugal back then, to the point of forcing seniors to starve and social services to be insufficient? If you cannot honestly answer that question with a yes, then there should be no trouble in rolling back the spending. It would be a tremendous first step, and should be a regular topic every time you contact one of your elected representatives from now on.

But don't despair - there is hope. The CATO Institute shares two examples of successfully reigning in government spending in recent memory, one from each political party:

This can be done. It must be done. NOW.

Call and e-mail your Senators and Rep, and demand they cut the spending. Then do it again. We just elected a whole bunch of newbies to Congress last November, and they're licking their chops to do just that, but the old guard is dragging their feet big time. The only way we can salvage our horrenous and unsustainable economic situation is to literally hammer the message through to ALL of them -- in both parties -- that this is no longer an option. Make it clear that this is your highest priority, that they're going to be up for re-election soon, and that you will remember their actions on this subject, and vote accordingly.

When your house is on fire, you don't sit around in your recliner finishing the last episode of American Idol, do you? Of course not! You take drastic measures and fight the flames NOW.

And this is no TV show - the future of this country is quite literally at stake. Get busy and do your part to save it.