DEBT IS BONDAGE

(I initiated this blog to discuss science ideas and concepts. However, after taking the summer off, I find that science education does not seem to be the most pressing issue in my mind. I apologize if you came here for scientific enlightenment, but this entry will deal with a more pressing issue; FREEDOM.)


Debt is bondage. When you owe money on your car you are not free to buy another car. When you owe too much on your credit card you are not free to use your credit card for an emergency expense. When you owe money on your home you are not free to quit your job or move to another state. For a long time Americans have been prosperous enough to work around these limitations to a degree, but it does not change the fact that when a person owes money they are not totally free.

The crime that has been committed by the elected representatives in this country, for more than fifty years now, has been to slowly place the nation into debt. This debt has been accumulated for multiple reasons, many for seemingly good and kind humanitarian reasons. The reasons do not matter. We have spent money we did not have and borrowed to make up the difference. We can argue about the causes of these actions and the needs that have been addressed, but the bottom line is that now the United States is massively in debt. Now the United States is in bondage.

We would never have allowed a foreign invader to put us in bondage. But we have sold our liberty, and the liberty of our children, for questionable causes. Of course it is good to care for the poor. It is admirable to respect our elders. It is compassionate to care for the sick. But if I borrow money to donate to the needy, however that is defined; I will soon be a slave to my creditors.

Every responsible citizen knows they cannot have everything they want. Every successful household has discussions concerning what is wanted and what is needed. This is how reasonable people run their lives to avoid slavery and bondage. Can it really be true that different economic realities and rules exist for governments and world order? Of course not.

The argument has been for many years, and by every political party, that we need to be compassionate and we need to be efficient. Liberty has never been either. Liberty has been cruel and caused the death and suffering of millions who seek it. Liberty has always been messy and costly. Yet, among all men, it is the one attribute desired uniformly, regardless of culture, religion, or creed.

Americans may still be brave. But we are no longer free. We have allowed our elected representatives to again and again make foolish decisions that have left us debtors and in bondage. I do not know the motives of these many men and women who have participated. Some have resisted, but most have not. I will not say that they are wicked, evil, well meaning, idealistic, or selfish. It doesn’t really matter. The end result is that I am not longer a freeman.

The only sensible solution is the one every responsible person recognizes and applies in their life daily. Carefully manage our affairs. Do not spend what we do not have. Save some money for emergencies. Do not invest in new and risky ventures. Work hard and be frugal until the debt is paid. Deny one-self of many niceties in order to assure the necessities. Are there any candidates running for office today with these values and the ability to live by them when elected?