The true roots of the fiscal crises in the United States have been woefully ignored since an entire lifetime ago. Whether under the guise of the Democrats or Republicans, Obama or The Donald (and every other president since Dick Nixon), the economic policy of the United States has been beyond fiscally irresponsible. Whether it’s spending more than we bring in, printing or borrowing money — all different sides of the same coin — we’ve simply passed down burdens to our children rather than delivering on our promise to hand them a better world. Those children are now adults! We’ve been treating our economic symptoms but not our disease. Our society is suffering from a deadly illness that I’ve termed F.I.D.L., outlined as follows:
Fat – In one of the most obese societies in the history of the universe, it has never been so cheap to stuff so many calories down our pie-holes. The sheer super-sizing of ourselves amplifies economic problems exponentially. During the natural phase of human evolution (until the 1960s), it wasn’t necessary to slaughter and roast a pig 3 times a day. While dishes such as ham, steak or even chocolate used to be reserved for special occasions and holidays, such “feasts” have become expected 3 times a day! Such gluttony might be good for the fast food industry (and gyms in January), but it’s a “huge” (pun intended) drain on the economy.
Immoral – The concept of having everything NOW (and figuring out how to pay for it later) has become the norm, rather than the moral hazard it used to be. In a hedonistic pursuit of happiness (instant gratification), far too many Americans have forgotten the long-term, “responsible” fiscal fundamentals which sustain an economy. You can take the “moral temperature” of the nation by turning on the TV, radio or reading the comments sections online — the standard of common decency versus vulgarity has shifted by biblical proportions. Divorce rates skyrocketed and remain at epidemic levels, destroying families — the bedrock of any society / economy.
Dumb – Many Americans, especially in the rust belt, Appalachia and inner cities are rejecting the forces which are not serving them well. As college tuition continues to skyrocket unabated the everyday, average masses of American people struggle to keep up with the changing economic landscape. The tech sectors (alongside other industries which require advanced degrees) are increasing exponentially, while most of the old-fashioned careers are being automated or simply deleted. Unable to retool fast enough, folks are getting fed up with the pace of change. The resulting epidemic of anti-intellectualism and backwards thinking (“if we could just go back to the way things were in the good old days we can make America great again!”) has swept the nation worse than the Macarena did in the 90’s. The USA continues to lag behind, especially in math and science.
Lazy – Humans evolved to use bipedal locomotion (walking) as our primary source of transportation. We’re riding more and walking less everyday.. Illustrating the point. The combination of a society where machines (or immigrants) seem to do most, if not all, of the work for us along with the deadly delusion that we’re entitled to everything (versus having to earn it) has created a large swathe of our population that would rather do nothing than what it takes to make it. When our bodies become too lazy to do things our brains turn to mush, too.
Our economic policies (whether by direct “stimulus” or cuts in taxes without cuts in spending) have robbed future generations so that we can stay F.I.D.L. now. Instead of coming up with innovative schemes to kick the can further down the road, it’s time to address the true nature of our economic / fiscal woes by reversing our trend of becoming fat, immoral, dumb and lazy.
digestible intellect 