It's an Axiom

The definition of “axiom” is a self-evident truth. It requires no proof because the logic is clear that the proposition needs no argument. Like Descartes’ “cogito ergo sum” (I think, therefore I am), there are things that shouldn’t require a PhD to fathom. We can and do certainly disagree on many things but axioms ought to invite unity of acceptance. Ought, but not necessarily do they. In the news of late are stories that highlight our national debt. Anecdotally attributed to Everett Dirksen is the phrase, “A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking real money." However, weather he said it or not the topic of debt discussion today is not billions but trillions --- that’s a number with 12 zeros, a billion times 1000. There comes a time when the use of numbers loses its effective perspective. It’s like saying “the mysterious Ring Galaxy is 600 million light-years distant” from earth. Let’s see, light travels at approximately 186, 282 miles per second; 600,000 times 186,282 = . . . . good grief! It’s simply not comprehensible. I think that must be the way it is when considering our national debt. It’s simply not comprehensible. Yet, just because I cannot comprehend it doesn’t invalidate the truth of it. The Ring Galaxy is still there . . . and so is the debt. This is an axiom.

Some years ago when I was still in the Air Force I came upon what may be called “a teachable moment.” Because of some foolish spending, unforeseen financial reversals, personal setbacks and self-imposed ignorance, I found myself in serious debt. The teachable moment came when my commander called me in for counseling and made it clear that the Air Force would not tolerate personal indebtedness that interfered with my duty to meet all obligations, personal and professional. If I wanted to continue my career I would have to ensure no further letters of indebtedness made their way to my commander’s desk. So, in addition to restructuring my combined debt and organizing my payment schedule to acceptable proportions, the most important and most effective means of transforming my debt status from “high risk” to “competent and reliable” was to radically alter my spending habit – read: spend much less than my income. I had to not only cut spending so as not to incur additional debt, I was forced to cut spending radically so as to reduce the debt already incurred. I notice in the news there are those who believe we can cut spending by a couple of billion on our “trillions-of-dollars” debt. Cutting $60 billion dollars of a 14 trillion debt is a reduction of 2/5th of 1%. If that had been my decision 36 years ago, I would not only still be in debt . . . I’d be worse off by a magnitude of exponential proportions.

The question is why are people willing to visit such a burden on our children, our grandchildren and beyond? Do they not care? Can they not see? Are they not parents who love their children? For me it’s like the Ring Galaxy . . . it’s an attitude beyond my comprehension. History shows in time of severe famine people have been known to eat their young. Is this too harsh an appraisal? Are we sacrificing our children’s future out of fear of our own survival? Does this seem hyperbolic to you? Or will we wake up as a culture and see our obligation? I don’t know. A trillion here, a trillion there, pretty soon we’re talking about self-destruction. That’s an axiom.