We're A Nation Of Takers - Not Makers

If you want to understand better why so many states—from New York to Wisconsin to California—are teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, consider this depressing statistic: Today in America there are nearly twice as many people working for the government (22.5 million) than in all of manufacturing (11.5 million). This is an almost exact reversal of the situation in 1960, when there were 15 million workers in manufacturing and 8.7 million collecting a paycheck from the government.

It gets worse. More Americans work for the government than work in construction, farming, fishing, forestry, manufacturing, mining and utilities combined. We have moved decisively from a nation of makers to a nation of takers. Nearly half of the $2.2 trillion cost of state and local governments is the $1 trillion-a-year tab for pay and benefits of state and local employees. Is it any wonder that so many states and cities cannot pay their bills?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704050204576219073867182108.html

 

Gotta give props to the employees who work for the Fed and State. I wonder what the stats would be if you counted everyone who gets a check from the Fed or State, that don't work.

 

This is why the budget battle must be about cutting spending, not merely reducing the deficit. It does us no good to reduce the deficit if we still have this enormous big government burden. In fact, we'd be better off not to reduce the deficit, because if we do, as sure as night follows day, Obama and the congress will increase spending again.

 

And this is why we are beyond the event horizon. Which politician is going to get elected to go to Washington on a suicide mission?

Obama said he didn't care if he was a one term president, but when he got handed a Tea Party Congress, even he changed his tune. He is now Bush Lite.

 

That is such a dumb statement, only a leftist can say and believe it.

 

I think AAA is saying that if we are able to cut spending now and the deficit starts to reduce that the Democrats will just say we have it under control now and go on a new spending spree taking the deficit to new hights. Alternatively, we could wait until the 2nd debt crisis to hit and maybe they will realized (or be forced) to cut spending and keep it cut.