By Oklahoma Rural Association Director John Collison
The national debt is a silent thief, robbing us of economic vitality and jeopardizing our future prosperity. At $28 trillion (the amount held by the pubic), it’s a staggering figure that represents not just a financial burden, but a failure of leadership and a betrayal of the American Dream. It’s a testament to our collective inability to live within our means, a symptom of a political system that prioritizes short-term gains over long-term sustainability. It’s a silent crisis that threatens to undermine the very foundation of our economy.
This debt isn’t just an abstract economic concept. It has real-world consequences for every American. It drives up interest rates, making it more expensive for families to buy homes or cars. It slows economic growth, reducing job creation and wage increases. And it limits our ability to invest in critical priorities like education, infrastructure, and research. The debt is a drag on our economy, holding us back from reaching our full potential. It’s a weight around our necks, preventing us from running the economic race with the speed and agility we need to compete in the global marketplace.
Imagine the businesses that could be started, the jobs that could be created, and the innovations that could be achieved if we weren’t burdened by this massive debt. Think of the roads and bridges that could be repaired, the schools that could be built, and the scientific research that could be funded if we weren’t squandering billions of dollars on interest payments. The debt is a missed opportunity, a squandered potential that robs us of a brighter future.
Some argue that we can simply ignore the debt or that it’s not a real problem. But this is like ignoring a growing leak in your roof; eventually, it will cause major damage. The debt is a problem that won’t solve itself. The longer we wait to address it, the more painful the solutions will be. We need to act now, before the damage becomes irreversible. We need to face this challenge head-on and make the difficult choices necessary to secure our economic future.
We need a comprehensive plan to reduce the debt, including both spending cuts and revenue increases. We need to reform entitlement programs, control healthcare costs, and make smart investments in our future. We need to prioritize long-term fiscal sustainability over short-term political gain. We need to make the tough choices today to ensure a brighter tomorrow. We need to demand that our leaders show courage and leadership, putting the nation’s well-being ahead of their own political ambitions.
The national debt is a complex issue, but one thing is clear: we cannot afford to ignore it any longer. We need a national conversation about this issue and a commitment to finding solutions that put the long-term interests of our country first. We need to demand that our leaders take action and hold them accountable for their promises. Failing to do so will only doom our children and grandchildren to a future of cleaning up the mess we refused to deal with.
