This month the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) at the White House issued its annual review of budget projections. The Obama administration now says the budget deficits will add $9.05 trillion to the national debt over the next ten years, and some say this number is far too conservative. It could actually exceed $14 trillion. By 2019, the government will be spending nearly $800 billion annually just to pay the interest on the debt; about $33,000 per household. And now they are actually talking about adding to this exponentially by nationalizing health care. Unbelievable!Few people have any idea how much a trillion is. It is a huge number. For example, a million seconds is about 11.5 days. That's not too many. A billion seconds is 32 years. Now that's a big number. Three billion seconds is longer than most of us will live. But what about a trillion seconds? A trillion seconds is 32,000 years! A stack of 9 trillion dollar bills would cover the distance from the earth to the moon more than two times!
How can we possibly pay off such a debt? There are only two possible ways for the federal government to raise money. They can simply print more - just like Monopoly. Of course this option weakens the dollar and causes inflation. No one wants to see a return to the double digit inflation of the Carter administration. The other possibility is to raise taxes. No one wants this either. Isn't there a door number three to get us out of this mess? Actually, yes. STOP SPENDING!
What would we think about a man that through an insatiable appetite for spending puts his family in ever increasing debt, yet continues to spend? What would we think if his debt became so large that it became a impossible burden for not only his children but also his grandchildren and his great grandchildren, yet he continues to spend? Would we not call such a man both irresponsible and wicked? Our leaders are spending us into a debt that will be a crushing burden for generations.
Oh, how we need to pray that God would bless us with some leaders that possess the wisdom, boldness and maturity to get us out of this dilemma. Oh how we need Godly leaders. "When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked rule, the people mourn" (Proverbs 29:2).
And pray that God might turn our nation from its continued rebellion against His rule. We truly have the leaders we deserve. We need His mercy.
