Special for the High School Class of 2010

November 23, 2009 | Filed Under Anti-Americanism, Barack Obama, Budget, Business, Capitalism, Communism, Congress, Constitution, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Free Trade, Government, Corruption, Liberals, President, Security/Safety, Socialism, Society/Culture, Taxes, The Law, Vince Johnson, Welfare |

-By Vince Johnson

Sixty-two years ago I was a 19 year old in the Class of 1947. Our commencement speaker emphasized how fortunate we were to be preparing for career opportunities in a world focused upon peace and prosperity rather than grieving over the death and destruction of the most devastating war in history. I had a unique appreciation for his remarks because in 1945 I quit school on my 17th birthday to join the U.S. Navy. After a tour of active duty I was finally back home graduating from high school.

During the Great Depression years of the 1930’s and the war years of 40’s, thousands of people sacrificed life and limb so their kids could live in a land of abundant opportunities rather than a world filled with the miseries of war and poverty.

In those days it would have been unthinkable to borrow trillions of dollars from the future of our children without their knowledge or consent. You may believe this could never happen in America, but this has been happening to you since before you were born! Politicians have decided that your parents and grandparents needed things they could not afford, so they paid for them with several trillion dollars borrowed from your future.

The money was spent as Congress deemed appropriate and you will be forced to make the payments in the form of taxes on your income, taxes on anything you may inherit, taxes on any kind of profit you make, and thousands of hidden taxes on anything you buy, sell, rent or lease. And of course, you can be fined, or sent to prison, or both, if you fail to make the payments.

To illustrate: Congress recently decided it was necessary to bailout some banks as well as some insurance companies that were failing. So Congress borrowed several hundred billion dollars fully aware that this will be added to the trillions you already owe!

When your parents learned that executives at these failed businesses received multi-million dollar bonuses from money borrowed from your future, they strenuously objected. But nobody listened. Congress borrowed the money, the executives received their bonuses, and you will be making the payments. Period!

Thus far Congress has borrowed $12 trillion from your future to cover excessive federal spending and if you add $106.8* trillion to pay for Social Security and Medicare, the total obligation comes to $118.8 trillion or about $521,000 for more than 220 million Americans 18 and older. Now get this, the cost of the Health Insurance and Cap and Trade Bill isn’t included even though their cost has been estimated at $1 to $3 trillion.

The point? In 1947, my graduating class was preparing for a lifetime in pursuit of lucrative opportunities. Today, the Class of 2010 must prepare for a lifetime coping with overwhelming debt and nobody has taken the time to warn you about what is happening to your future.

There is a way that might convince Congress to quit borrowing so much money Invite any member of the House of Representatives or Senate to come to your school and explain the ethics of borrowing several trillion dollars from your future without your knowledge or consent. Be sure to send copies of the invitation to the local newspapers and TV stations so they can follow up.

Congress must accept the shame and the blame for the damage they’ve done to your generation and those to follow. The way to do this with maximum impact is to ask a Senator to explain why this happened, and do so publicly before a high school student body where every word is televised to the entire world.

If the invitation is rejected, the Drama Class should to do a play about a Senator who tells the truth. And here’s the truth: The politicians didn’t have the courage to tell your parents and grandparents that there were many things America could not afford, so they kept borrowing trillions of dollars from the only citizens that were too young to vote.

I’d bet a lot of journalists would buy a front row seat to see that one. I know I would. Wouldn’t you?

*Source for $106.8 trillion can be verified on next page.
Read the entire report at: http://www.ncpa.org/pub/ba662

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Vince Johnson welcomes comments. Please send them to,Vince Johnson(vjadtrak@wvi.com)
See Vince in the new book Americans on Politics. Policy, and Pop-Culture.

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