I’m so tired of the GOP’s mock concern about Obama’s spending and their grandkids’ future when my own children have been affected today—right now—by their incompetence.
Here's John Boehner:
And on Friday, it was revealed that the bill congressional Democrats have been withholding from public view contains the largest discretionary spending increase since the Carter Administration, at a time when the federal budget deficit is already ballooning to dangerous levels. ... This is not fiscal responsibility; it is fiscal negligence, paid for by our children and grandchildren.
And Eric Cantor:
This budget and this President have now called for a budget that creates more debt than the other 43 presidents prior created in total. I've got three kids, Peter. They're going to be the ones who pay the debt on this. And we really ought not be thinking that the way back towards economy recovery is to pile debt on our children and grandchildren.
Well, I've got two kids, Eric. I wish you'd put down your bullhorn and take a look around you at the current situation in our country (in case you haven't noticed).
College Savings
I have two kids who, I hope, will pursue further education after high school graduation. We’ve been saving a small amount of money each month in a college savings fund (not enough to pay for college in full, but at least a little start).
Here's where we stand right now:
College funds averaged losses of almost 23% from July to November because of deep drops in the stock market.
And from CNN Money:
For families with children heading off to college, this has been the year from hell. First, a record number of applicants made 2008 the most competitive year ever for college admissions. Then the credit crunch hit the college market in a big way, igniting fears of a drought in financing for all students this fall.
Spurred by dwindling demand for packaged loans from investors and cuts on federal subsidies, more than 100 lenders in the government college loan program have pulled out of the market. Private lenders are leaving the college market too - 27 so far. Those who remain are making it tougher to qualify for loans, while jacking up rates and reducing discounts.
The result: If you're counting on a loan to pay tuition bills this fall, you're probably anxiously holding your breath, waiting to see if you'll be able to borrow what you need at a rate you can afford.
Not only are future college students' dreams being dashed, but kids who were already in college are being pulled out of college.
From 60 Minutes: Economic Storm Batters Ohio Town:
She's been building a stockpile of food. "So you just have to start doing and you do without things. And your son drops out of college early. You just do what you have to do."
"He dropped out of college?" Pelley asks.
"Yeah, we had to. We had to pull him. He didn't go the following winter sessions this year. We don't have the money," Thomas explains.
Neither she nor her husband went to college, and sending their kids to college was their dream. "It was my dream for my kids to have better than I had. But now they're not going to," she says.
And what about the fortunate kids who do graduate from college?
After graduating next May, college seniors are likely to face the worst job market in 15 years.
Retirement Savings
We’ve also been putting away money for our retirement in a 401k, with the two-fold goal of living a decent retirement life and not being a burden on our children.
Guess how we're doing:
$2 trillion wiped out of retirement funds.
Why Are More Older Americans Sleeping in Their Cars?
For three months, Barbara Harvey, 66, slept in the lot reserved for women only. Propped up by pillows and blankets, Harvey and her two hefty golden retrievers squeezed into the back of her Honda SUV. In August, a friend found her a place in San Luis Obispo, 100 miles away.
A mother of three, Harvey became homeless after she lost her job as a notary and couldn’t afford her $2,150-a-month rent, even with Social Security and a part-time job. But she didn’t want to leave. She was familiar with the city and its resources—so she wound up in the parking lot. "Just having a place to park added stability," says Harvey. "The dogs were familiar with the area and they didn’t go running off. I felt safe."
Among her "neighbors" were a 54-year-old woman who shared her compact car with three cats, and a 79-year-old Texan who spoke fondly of her boarding school days.
Health Care
Forget about education; are our children’s basic health needs being met?
From Left Behind: America's Uninsured Children
- 8.6 Million Children Are Uninsured
- One in nine American children (11.1 percent) is uninsured.
Hunger
Are we at least feeding our children?
From Feeding America.org:
- More than 9 million children are estimated to be served by Feeding America, over 2 million of which are ages 5 and under, representing nearly 13 percent of all children under age 18 in the United States and over 72 percent of all children in poverty.
- According to the USDA, an estimated 12.4 million children lived in food insecure (low food security and very low food security) households in 2007.
- 8 states plus DC have more than 20 percent of children living in food insecure households, the states of Texas (23.58%) and Mississippi (22.84%) have the highest rates of children in households without consistent access to food
So let's review:
Today's Reality:
We’re broke, uninsured, unemployed, sick, hungry, with no safety net for retirement. In other words, three generations in the crapper. Right now.
Future Alarmist Rhetoric:
We’ll have a massive budget deficit.
Umm, a deficit just like today, except bigger? But there's a good chance we'll have jobs, food, and medicine? Cool. I'll take that chance.
I thought about the absurdity of the concerns over spending when so many Americans are hurting, hungry, broke, desperate, and looking for help and this image came to mind (it's my first attempt at political satire):