Opinion

Republicans must play hardball to reduce US national debt


All opinions expressed in this article are solely the opinions of the contributors.

The U.S. has officially hit its debt ceiling, the max amount of money it is able to borrow. With the government on the hook for $31 trillion, Republicans in Congress say they want spending concessions made before they agree to raise the debt ceiling. The White House says it won’t negotiate. Straight Arrow News contributor Star Parker says Republicans are doing the right thing by playing hardball and warns that decades of unchecked government spending have created a nation addicted to debt.

The silence and irresponsibility of the Left in this regard are just increasingly ridiculous. They just spend, spend, spend. What’s more, it strays beyond the reality of what hardworking Americans face in their own lives. In our own lives, we can’t just kick the can down the road on our personal debt. Well, we shouldn’t. We shouldn’t just keep spending and raising the limit on our credit cards once they’re all maxed out. At some point, no, you have to pay down. But too many Americans don’t believe that anymore.

In fact, in August 2021, about 64 million people with a credit record – that’s 28% of Americans – had debt in collections on their credit report. This is especially true for our young people. The newest generation entered into the workforce has nearly one in five adults between the ages of 18 and 24 with a credit record in the U.S. had debt in collections. Well, they’re taking their cues from the government. Is it any wonder?

Maybe that’s why in a poll recently from the Peter G. Peterson Foundation from last September they noted a huge increase in concern about the national debt among those who are under the age of 35. Just spend, we’ll pay, some time later. Who knows, maybe we’ll just print more money. 74% of Americans in total, as noted by that poll, believe our national debt should be a top priority. Of the top three priorities of Congress and the president, this is one of them. So there is some concern that people are saying $31 trillion, really. Who’s going to pay for that? 

Yet, the Left ignores the rules of fiscal responsibility. Meanwhile, they continue to plunder our national debt into an abyss, damaging our economy further and further and make it harder for actual workers, people that are playing by the rules, to get ahead.

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