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LETTER: National debt is a disgrace to the ‘Greatest Generation’

What a Shame!
My parents grew up during the U.S. Great Depression. I remember their stories of their delight getting only an orange on Christmas morning and the delectable delight, duck blood soup for supper. Nothing was wasted.

Both of my parents were WWII veterans and part of “The Greatest Generation”. They dedicated themselves to making sure we needed nothing and that their affairs were in order so we wouldn’t be strapped with their debts when they passed on.

My wife and I work out our monthly budget and pay our bills. We do it because those bills are our responsibility and not our children’s. We have made sure our children will not be strapped with our debts when we pass on.

Why can’t our federal government do the same thing?

There hasn’t been a federal budget in over 3 years and last I heard our grandchildren will each have a national debt of around $42,000! They didn’t build that.

That’s not fair! What a disgrace to “The Greatest Generation” to throw all their struggles and heroism into Chinese banks.

Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan’s plan will cut tax rates across the board by 20%; eliminate taxes on capital gains, interest, and dividends for families making less than $200,000 a year. Their plan will eliminate the death tax, an unfair tax on our individual efforts to ensure our children’s security!

Those of us who love and respect them, and those who are a part of “The Greatest Generation” Please vote for Romney and Ryan on November 6th.

Chris Goebel

One Comment

  1. I am part of the generation that Mr. Goebels appears to be worried about and I would like to address some of the issues brought up by him in his letter to the editor.

    First, the argument about death tax is ridiculous and only a ploy to tie a ridiculous idea (such as cutting the death tax) to a wonderfully sounding idea (like cutting everyone’s taxes 20%). How about we keep the death tax, and use every cent of it to pay off the debt?

    Broad generalized suggestions about cutting taxes will not solve the national debt problem. We can have discussions about waste and abuse in government spending, and here I’m sure Mr. Goebels, myself, and just about everyone else would agree on this issue. But, with what kind of mathematical magic will taking in less money somehow pay off the debt faster? It will only put a little extra money in Mr. Goebel’s generation’s pocket and will kick the can further down the road for me and my generation to pay off.

    Second, Mr. Goebel, I’m well aware of the fact that I may not have valuable governmental programs when I’m older such as social security when I grow up (I’m not planning on it and I’m saving accordingly). I’m well aware of the fact that I may be stuck with an additional $42,000+ debt that I did not create. I’m well aware of the fact that my generation will be the first in American history to not achieve the standard of living as those previously. These are issues that I (my generation) did not create and are not our responsibility, they are yours.

    Please Mr. Goebel, stop looking to my generation and citing us a reason to get rid of the debt. We are smart enough to see the mess that has been created. I don’t need your pity, patronization, and political use of us to achieve some agenda. I need your generational cohort to take the responsibility for the mess YOU got us in and pay off the debt yourself. If you really did care about us, YOU would pay it off and pay it off now, and not pass the duty to me.

    Some have argued and called my generation “the entitlement generation.” Why might we seem so? Because so much of our future has already been stolen by previous generational ideologies such as Mr. Goebels. Now, I hate taxes as much as the next guy; they can be painful, wasteful, and ill-conceived. But, I’m sorry Mr. Goebels; the pain is something that your generation should bear the most. The debt is YOUR generation’s creation and problem. Please don’t stick it with mine.

    What an even greater shame.