We are seeing now, with the extraordinary pain at the pump, the difference between a crisis and a problem.
A crisis is immediate and acute. But it may be only a symptom of a larger problem.
The price of gasoline has become a crisis, causing the cost of groceries and other staples to rise, and making some people choose between bread and petroleum. It's leading to layoffs and threatening small businesses.
Consider just a few Georgians' heartfelt concerns (on the opposite page) that were sent to Sen. Saxby Chambliss. Good, hard-working, and in many cases middle-income families are struggling to make ends meet.
But as bad as things are, underlying this current crisis is an even more insidious and chronic problem:
This country simply does not have effective leadership at this time.
Think about the profundity of that statement.
This is supposedly the only superpower left on Earth. We are considered the leaders of the free world. We think of ourselves as the greatest nation in history.
And yet, we cannot help but conclude that we have no effective leadership in Washington.
We have no financial plan. We have no coherent energy plan. Our border is unsecured. And Washington not only has us in debt up to our ears, but is essentially garnishing our unborn children's and grandchildren's wages to pay for our future retirements.
Just take the energy crisis.
This isn't about a lack of oil, or the access to it. This is a crisis of leadership.
Perhaps it came sooner than expected, but a well-fed and focused chimpanzee could have seen high energy costs coming. Oil, like everything else in this world, is a finite resource, and China and India are leading a crop of burgeoning industrial economies that are driving up the demand for fuel.
Why in the world didn't our leaders have a contingency plan?
The reason: They're terrible leaders, if they're leaders at all.
We blame both parties, and both Congress and the White House. We blame current and recent elected officials -- multiple presidents and congressional leaders.
This crisis of leadership is a long time in the making: The last president who truly challenged us to greater heights and selflessness was John F. Kennedy. Since his exhortation to "ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country," we've elected leaders who only tell us what they can do for us.
While Kennedy sent us to the moon, our leaders today promise us the moon.
That works for awhile, as we satiate ourselves with largesse they share with us from our own treasury. But over time, you get the kind of leadership you deserve. And we've gotten it.
It's just now showing up at the pump. But the lack of leadership in Washington has been there for some time, as evidenced by the federal budget crisis now taking us by the throat.
What can be done?
The easy answer is to say elect better leaders. But there's apparently something in the water in Washington that is both corrosive and corruptive. Witness the so-called Republican Revolution of 1994. An enthusiastic crop of new legislators invaded Washington to, as the cliche goes, "take back our country." But within several years, the Republican leadership was playing the same games as the previous regimes, and became more focused on retaining power than reforming government.
Thus, we've sadly concluded that we can no longer rely on the elective process to fix the broad and creeping problems in Washington.
It appears, rather, that constitutional amendments may be our only route toward salvation. At the very least, we need term limits to keep our leaders honest and selfless and forward thinking, and we need strict spending controls in the Constitution to stop them from spending more than we can send them.
In short, it's not enough to try to change our leaders; try to beat an incumbent and his war chest. Instead, the system needs changing.
It's not their country, it's ours. And we've let it get to this point.
Only we can change it.
Comments
Saxby got his $5,000,000 war chest from out of state special interest, does anybody think they gave him this money for protecting the interest of Georgia taxpayers or delivering a $473,000,000 earmark for race horses in Kentucky. Saxby "special interest"Chambliss bad for the Republican party, bad for Georgia & bad for the USA.
We Chronicle, meaning all Americans, coming together as Americans...American in terms of just what it means American...Not red blues or purples but under one creed American. America with people who believe in the sovereignty and greatest this country is and will continue to be as long as it's people stand strong together united in the beliefs we are a great and mighty country deserving of the respect from the rest of the world...This has only come about through a people that pray together, worship and fear a loving awesome God and have a love and need of family and morals before all else...As of right now we are a nation bereft in a sea of immorality, fear and racial divides...A nation that is divided such as this will not stand.....
You should know chris....
United States is united in name only. We have no real common purpose beyond family, friends & neighbors except chasing the once almighty dollar. People don't fight or sacrifice for corporations. Corporations are essential to our economy but corporatism has run amok just as a military is essential for our defense but militarism has run amok in this country. Nobody is willing to fight & die or sacrifice for GE or Exxon Mobil. People are willing to fight & die & sacrifice for family, friends & neighbors. We are not a homogeneous society like China (95% Han). Politicians rely on appeal to the masses which is reduced to the lowest common denominator. Observing that public discourse in this country is stupid is an understatement. Politicians who urged conservation & energy diversification in the early 1990s when gasoline as 99 cents a gallon were scoffed at. Americans chose the Ford Explorer as the most successful SUV. This was well after the oil crises of the 1970s. So politicians AND consumers are to blame. We can forget about substantive legislation during the current political season. Nothing significant will happen until after 20 Jan 2009 when new leadership takes over. Reforming corporate tax structure is an essential part of responsible fiscal policy. Corporations have social responsibilities beyond making profits for investors and obscenely overpaid CEOs.
As JRHC said in his "back door"way, we have become a nation that expects the federal government to solve all of our problems for us. Our universities teach this, our high schools and elementary schools teach this, our political system teaches this and now we are reaping what we have sown. We've done away with personal responsibility, we've done away with individualism and we're about to put a marxist in the White House. We punish the achievers and reward the non-achievers. No leadership? Who's surprised?
14putt yep and hey good morning to you too dear:-)
Welcome back PY....
Increased public transportation is one of the solutions to the current energy crisis (which will no longer be considered an immediate crisis if gasoline goes down to $3 a gallon). But using taxes on gasoline to support public transportation is political anathema. United States has constructed its own house of cards. After the energy crises of the 1970s, urban planning was abandoned in favor of "market forces". The development of Columbia County is a prime example of what market forces have wrought. High gasoline prices and dependence on the car for every aspect of life has led to abandonment of the dream of living in suburbia. The new chic is "walkable communities" where everything from grocery shopping, to schools, to recreation, to arts & entertainment are easily accessible on foot or by a quick hop on public transport. Where has The Augusta Chronicle Editorial Staff (ACES) been during the last 30 years while Americans' dependence on oil and fossil fuels has steadily increased? What were ACES issues of concern during the 1980s, 1990s, and the first 7 years of the new millennium? They have constantly extolled the virtues of an ever expanding military-industrial establishment, foreign interventionism, tax cuts, and more oil drilling everywhere. Did The Chronicle demand increased fuel efficiency or support tax rebates for development of energy alternatives? Disarray in United States is because of lack of political leadership, lack of individual responsibility, and lack of corporate responsibility including corporate industry and corporate media.
jrhc, i agree with everything you say today except the part about significant change occurring after jan 20 2009. i think we're all in for some painful realizations in the coming months as small businesses continue to flounder as people save their pennies for gas & food. we've had it good here in the u.s. for a while now and the bust was bound to happen at some point.
cain hates big govt unless it is socialist like him. he trust that his side can run things better, from energy to healthcare. his people are right and cannot be corrupted. nothing will change with either of the candidates. nothing. the only answer is a constitutional convention which leaves no "general welfare" clause or complete abolishment of the federal govt. i prefer the latter. i dont give a damn how fast someone drives in montana.
i dont give a damn if gays want to get married in california. we are very different people from the liberals of the north east. let the states decide. what do feds do for you. steal your paycheck,
promise social security which is spent before it is stolen, and police the world in your name. we couldnt even pump a little water from the river to keep the golf gardens green without a permit from washington d c . it shall soon collapse anyway......
welcome back pt.
why should richmond county residents pay a 1% sales tax to atlanta for marta when we cannot afford our own public transport system? taxachussetts is in revolt and the people sick of the pork, waste, lyin reps are about to vote the income tax out of being. i hope they succeed. it will free up tons of free enterprise money. there is no greater social security than a job.............
http://www.thesunchronicle.com/articles/2008/06/13/news/3296779.txt
how prophetic do these words ring today? " I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around [the banks] will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs".
Thomas Jefferson,
A great editorial Mike Ryan.
We must wake up and demand that our leaders represent
the people rather than special interest groups.
How about term limits?
Could Augusta set up bus depots such as MARTA stations? If the buses had one central area to pick up and drop offl, the stopping on every block could be eliminated. Anyhow, a MARTA doesn't stop at the riders convenience, it's their way or no way. Maybe we could do it with our buses and provide faster, more economical service to the riders.
Ditto. to 10:55 "Welcome back" PT
As usual, Cain is on his game. 100% correct sir. As for failed leadership, look no further than The Worst President Ever. He has failed in everything he has ever done from flying jets and running oil companies in his early spoiled and elitist years to the Iraq War, Katrina, and the economy of the incompetent, incoherent, and inarticulate past 7 years. Or was it really all part of his evil plan to enrich the Exxons and Haliburtons at the expense of American Soldiers and less than upper class families. Leadership is on the way in a young man who can unite and inspire just like JFK and Martin Luther King Jr. Will the real evil doers allow him the opportunity? Can they afford to?
Everyone seems to want to blame everything on the price of oil. And they do so while drinking a 16 ounce bottle of water that costs $1.50. It's all politically motivated nonsense. No one talks about what really happened. The economy was going well. The war in Iraq/Afghanistan was not the best, but we were making significant progress in that part of the world. Then the democrats got control of Congress. That's when all our problems got worse, and we got a whole new set of problems like unemployment and tax increases. Politicians are ruining us. Leadership is, indeed, a thing of the past.
gcap..It's what is known in the Democrat Party jargon as "It's the economy stupid!". If not for that slogan the Dems could never regain their much sought after power over the people. The war got better, took away their platform they had relied so long upon, so they went to their main squeeze. The dumber the voter, the more su[pport the slogan attracts.
Cappy, you are right on. The democrats seem to be able to gain control of people by restricting individual accomplishment and creating a dependence on government. They talk of education, yet they only educate to the extent they can convince the masses to depend upon them for everything. Just take a look at Augusta-Richmond County. The worst of everything. And it starts with democratic "control" of the people. Dems control ARC.
Yeah, it's all gone to Hell in less than a year and a half. Uninformed idiots, ignorance is bliss.
You mean we are supposed to drive more gas efficient vehicles? Watch our own spending? Gasp! It seems like too many people cannot do this. Oh, and Jimmy Carter, the president many on here love to hate, was thinking ahead with the Synthetic Fuel Corporation. Ronald Reagan killed it (but you cannot really blame him totally, as looking ahead was not as much his job as worrying about the issues of the 1980s and he did what he felt was right for that time).
Retarded Army, the Republicans have consistently been blocked by the DIMs from allowing us to drill our own oil and gas since the 1970s.. Don't even try to blame Bush and Cheney for this problem, as it was BJ Cliton that vetoed drilling in ANWR in 1995, and have blocked such drilling ever since there or off shore.
imdstuf, again you are mistaken. Perhaps some research?
Sigraci, Adolph Hitler inspired a whole nation and had a convincing tongue just lie Osama, who promises everything ("change") with NO specifics, other than tax, tax, tax. What you ignorant types don't understand is that those "evil " corporations osama would tax out of this country, are owned by a wide cross section of American stock holders and are the reason most Americans have jobs. I'm sure you and your misinformed ilk don't know that American corps are the heaviest taxed in the industrialized world already .Econ 101.
Sigraci, you should know that ignorance is bliss as you, no doubt are the most blissful on here.
Jack,, The Republicans(RHINO) were in complete control of the Government for 6 years, they gave big oil everything they wanted.. tax breaks.. if big oil had wanted alaska, off shore drilling they would have given them that. Econ 101 is all about maxamizing PROFIT not supply.. The DRAFT DODGER has done nothing to increase the supply of oil in his 6 years.
hunter, surely you don't believe what you just printed. Name calling is very unbecoming. Are you smarter than that?
when did stating a fact (GWB did, in fact, dodge the draft with his lightweight nat'l guard duty assignment) become name calling? as far as repubs or dems being the cause, i have to say that there hasn't been one instance of conservative fiscal policy since reagan left office. honestly, folks, the crisis is just what the AC editorial states: not one federal official has any concern for being stewards of our tax dollars.
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