It was not always that American leaders--Democrats or Republicans--were such feckless deficit lovers. A measure of American decline is surely comparing the quality of leadership it had during a more prosperous era and now. Back then you had Harry Truman who owned up to what happened to his country by indicating that "The Buck Stops Here" on the Oval Office desk. Reading the umpteenth pathetic yak from Obama about how he is merely the victim of Bush-era policies (and presumably those of Republican administrations long past) makes you wonder if he will ever own up to the fact he's had nearly four years to change things. Instead, he's run trillion dollar-plus deficits for three consecutive years. Forward? Yes, of course--into a fiscal cliff sooner or later according to the OECD.
Unlike Truman's generation, today's Americans never really own up to anything. Witness their favourite habit of blaming their parents for everything that's gone wrong. It more often than not turns out to be scapegoating by those who ought to devote more time to getting their acts together than absolving themselves of any blame. Certainly our parents are not perfect, but most tried to raise us the best they could given the circumstances. Again, it's a buck-passing conceit of current generations writ large in the contemporary American psyche.
As the archetypal modern American buck-passer, Obama is a sick joke the American people have inflicted on rest of the world. In the global monetary realm, some call it "international currency war." The honest truth is that, despite the government spending jillions on heaven knows what, Americans are poorer, fatter and dumber. That these trends have accelerated during Obama's time in office tells you a lot about how low their expectations are since he's got a realistic chance of re-election.
There must come a point when you own up to your actions instead of blaming your current situation on everything and everyone else. Americans no longer understand this by and large. Certainly the part of the blogosphere I inhabit is filled with those who gloss over responsibility for the mediocrity of today's America. In the end, however, nobody but you are answerable to why you've become so broke, fat and stupid.
You listening, Barack? Didn't think so. With you the buck stops nowhere.
UPDATE: Also see the CBO's version of the "fiscal cliff."
