Both parties must come together to decide spending cuts
The United States’ federal debt is just less than $15.3 trillion. The last 12 years of our country’s history have been tainted by a federal government that allows unregulated spending. We have a Congress, whose approval ratings fell to 9 percent last year, that has allowed our country to drown indefinitely in a sea of debt. The American people are tired of this senselessness in Washington, and fear has crept back into our society — fear of what is to come if we cannot pay our bills.
A few days ago, I went into a local gas station to pay for some gas. As I walked in, the cashier was talking to a man about how useless and childlike politicians in Washington were these days. I walked up, paid the cashier and told him that I agreed with him. Then he looked at me and said, “I miss when politicians were skilled in the art of compromise.”
He is right. There have been times when the two dominant parties were able to agree and get things done for the betterment of our county. In order to attack the debt and allow the economy to enjoy real growth, Democrats and Republicans have to come together and cut some of the things that are so near and dear to their hearts — and party agendas.
Democrats are going to have to compromise with Republicans and agree to cut runaway entitlement programs; they must also reform certain programs to bring them out of the red. But Democrats are not the only ones who need to deal with cuts. Republicans will have to accept lower spending in an area that has, for the past few years, been closest to their hearts — the defense budget. Politics aside, neither of our two parties can safely excuse continued spending at the current rate — no matter the program.
We all agree that the $15.3 trillion national debt is a very bad thing. The only way to get rid of that debt is by cutting back on spending. Within these spending cuts, however, is plenty of room for discussion and cooperation between the two great parties. Our enemy is not me or you. It is not red or blue. Our enemy is the debt, and we must never forget that. We have to come to our senses and realize that the art of compromise is not yet dead and that we can still dig ourselves out of this nasty hole we have dug ourselves throughout the past decade. If we fail however, we will lose everything. This nation was founded on compromise among many groups of many ideologies, a unity that we celebrate with every Fourth of July that passes. Today, our country can be saved once more from crushing debt by our two parties — if they can only learn again the art of compromise.