The Next American Crisis: No. 1

We have been told before about times that try our souls. We have been told that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. We have been told that what we obtain too cheap, we esteem to lightly. I am here to say that we have forgotten those words.

In our defense, Thomas Paine told us these words over 230 years ago. And in the meantime, America has succeeded beyond his wildest dream. We have entered many a crisis and through our own ingenuity and perseverance we have emerged bloodied, but unbowed to stand victoriously on the other side.

Now, our souls are tried once more. This time instead of being under siege from a cruel and burdensome English yoke, our crisis is far more complicated. We have military conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. We have a healthcare system that is insufficient for our country’s needs. We have an energy predicament that seems to have no immediate solutions. We have people losing their houses to unwieldy mortgages. We have a national debt that is so large that no one can truly comprehend the number without holding an advanced degree. We have an aging country with a social security system that will be insolvent if it maintains its current course of action. We have problems and these are just a few.

In the most recent of days the world has been engulfed by a financial crisis staggering in its totality. On Wednesday, the Nikkei 225 dropped over 9%, the Hang Seng was down over 7%, and French and German indexes were down over 3%. This all followed a Dow Jones loss of over 5% on Tuesday. The world’s financial markets are burning and no one can find the water.

There is a vacuum where there should be a fiscal leader. No one has stepped up and said this is the problem and this is the solution. I have heard that so and so is the problem and we think this will help the situation. We deserve better.

America has made sacrifices before and we will need to make some right now before this financial crisis overwhelms our country and the world. Yet, most of the plans I am hearing are for levies to hold back a flood. When what we need to do is move the entire river. Thomas Paine wrote, “If there is trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace.” Someone needs to tell our leaders we are in the next great American crisis. Trouble has come and unless everyone assumes the burden trouble will visit our children’s children.

Bill Doyle, Massachusetts