We as a country have lost our way.  Much like the titular character in the movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button we have aged in reverse.  In our youth, our leaders were much more mature and restrained than just about anyone we’ve put in the White House in the last 150 years.  George Washington offered this sage and prescient warning in his farewell address:

As a very important source of strength and security, cherish public credit. One method of preserving it is, to use it as sparingly as possible; avoiding occasions of expense by cultivating peace, but remembering also that timely disbursements to prepare for danger frequently prevent much greater disbursements to repel it; avoiding likewise the accumulation of debt, not only by shunning occasions of expense, but by vigorous exertions in time of peace to discharge the debts, which unavoidable wars may have occasioned, not ungenerously throwing upon posterity the burthen, which we ourselves ought to bear.

Instead of cherishing public credit and avoiding the accumulation of debt, our leaders, in both the legislative and executive branches, have done the exact opposite.  They’ve embraced debt like anyone tangentially having anything to do with Louisiana embraced the recent Super Bowl Champion Saints. And they’ve cherished our credit like my kids cherish broccoli. While executing war is indeed a duty of government, which Washington acknowledges may cause occasions of expense, continually raising the debt ceiling so that government can continue out of control spending is not.  Washington also warned against the immaturity of failing to take responsibility for our actions.  When we allow our politicians to increase our debt when they spend our credit so foolishly and frivolously on programs and projects only intended to buy their own re-election, we are mortgaging our children’s future and the future of this country. 

If we want to bring virtue back to our government we have to stop electing leaders because they promise us goodies from the federal budget and instead seek leaders who will make hard cuts to bring government spending under control.  If we don’t, we’ll have traded the strength and security of our nation away, not only for the momentary thrill of winning an election, but also our children’s future.