An eerie era of silence has descended on the United States. In so many areas of its national life, institutions and political parties appear averse to talking about the true nature of the many challenges facing the nation. Central questions about the economy, national security, the federal budget, the quality of our educational system, and more remain unaddressed as crisis after crisis mandates that we urgently have the discussions that have been avoided for far too long.
In great universities, media outlets, and the halls of government, frank talk has been replaced with taboos about bringing up the rapid descent that has encompassed almost every facet of national endeavors in the past half-decade.
America has faced budget deficits in the past. But never this serious, absent the Second World War, and never did it grow as quickly as it has without achieving or building anything. Franklin Roosevelt bent rules and spent enormously on programs aimed at ending the Great Depression in the 1930’s. Praise it, criticize it, or bring up the fact that those efforts didn’t actually end the Depression, but at the very least, the evidence of what federal dollars were spent on can still be seen in numerous great projects and buildings across the U.S. Where did the nearly one trillion dollars spent on the stimulus go? Nothing was achieved. No problems were solved. Nothing of any significance was built. Why is this not a major topic of discussion?
Across the face of the planet, Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, and Islamic extremists have developed or acquired and are rapidly expanding extraordinary military capabilities that are directly aimed at America and American interests. In addition, funds and expertise are being directly funneled to nations within our own hemisphere, such as Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela by Moscow, Beijing and Tehran for the specific purpose of threatening the United States. Other than in a few specialty journals, when was the last time there was a significant, widely reported national debate on this topic?
At the same time that America’s proven, attainable domestic energy resources are greater than ever, U.S. consumers are paying outrageously high prices to fill their gas tanks and power their homes. How is that justified? Why does the federal government continue to refuse to allow the exploitation of energy resources within its vast land holdings? This issue is particularly salient when hostile nations such as Russia, Venezuela and those in the Middle East use their energy resources as a political weapon to achieve goals harmful to the interests of America and its allies. Why have so few media outlets concentrated on this?
Despite greater sums than ever being spent on education, disappointing results are the norm. Why are American students, despite all those dollars, faring poorly in basic subjects? Why do so many relevant textbooks neglect to inculcate students into the proud achievements of a nation that has led humankind in expanding freedom and prosperity, and instead frequently read like anti-U.S. propaganda tracts from enemy nations? Why does the press continue to soft-pedal this?
Ever greater sums of federal dollars are being committed to social welfare programs providing funding to young, healthy, individuals. The poverty rate remains unimproved, and the job participation rate continues to decline. Since giveaway schemes haven’t worked, shouldn’t an effort be made to instead change course and engage in efforts that increase employment opportunities instead?
Several of our once-great inner cities have descended into bankruptcy and orgies of crime. Some, like Chicago, have murder rates that would be unacceptable in warzones patrolled by American troops. Why have the pundits and broadcast barons not investigated the corrupt politics and overtly foolish ideological philosophies that have been the hallmark of these failed municipalities?
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There are, of course, many other challenges that could be mentioned. But the common denominator in all of these areas is the relatively light media coverage, biased academic discourse, and inadequate political debate that has taken place relating to them.
Absent that desperately needed discourse, these dramatic problems have already caused massive damage, and threaten to rapidly and irreversibly harm the United States to a degree from which it may not be able to recover.