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Can America's greatness be subsidized?

Posted: Thursday, Jul 02, 2009 - 05:06:19 pm PDT
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By Rep. Bill Hinkle
13th District 

OLYMPIA — Every society that has lived for the moment has lived to regret it. Without the foresight to plan for the future, societies’ indulgences lead to inevitable downfalls. Is this what we’re seeing in America today?

The Obama Administration’s efforts to spend us out of our national recession will bind our children and our grandchildren for generations to come. The level of government spending we see today in the guise of “stimulus packages” is not just unprecedented, it is downright scary. The printing presses are working 24 hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week to print borrowed money – money borrowed from you and me, the taxpayers.

And what is the Obama Administration spending that money on? Billions to bailout the auto industry, billions to bail out banks, and soon, billions to bail out the state of California and possibly the credit card companies.

The federal government is even spending $10 million of your tax dollars to improve education in Cambodia! I know there are a lot of schools in my legislative district that could use that money. And don’t get me started on the $100,000 being spent to breed Wyoming toads.

But how much is enough? Where does this reckless and frivolous spending leave us two, four, ten, 20 years down the road? Perhaps a better question is: do you care? Have we as American citizens embraced abject cynicism and selfishness to such a degree that we’re willing to throw away the future of the generation that comes after us? For the first time in our nation’s history, will the next generation actually be worse off in terms of financial security and provision?

The events of the last year have left me to ponder how America became great. Was it through government control? Was it through oppressive bureaucracy? Was it through entitlement programs and expectations?

No. America became great because of hope.

People were willing to risk life and limb, their life saving, being ostracized by friends and family, all for the HOPE of being able to shape and mold their own destinies; for the HOPE of being rewarded in accordance with their efforts; with the HOPE of making a better life for themselves and their children through hard work, accountability and justice.

People used to come to America for the promise of a better life. Now they come to America for the promise of American subsidies and entitlement programs.

In President Obama’s efforts to bring us up out of the economic turmoil we’re currently in, I wonder if we’re pushing down the true American spirit. I wonder if the true definition of hope – with concrete results and solid principles of accountability – has been replaced with a sound bite of “yes we can.”

As we celebrate our nation’s independence from tyranny and oppression this month, I sincerely hope we remember that the driving force behind that movement – hope in the American spirit – cannot be bailed out or subsidized. It may be waning a little these days, but I believe it is on the verge of a tremendous breakthrough. And it will once again be we the people that lead us back to greatness, not the largess of our national government.

Hinkle represents the 13th District, is the House Republican Whip and is on the House Ways and Means Committee.


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Don wrote on Jul 8, 2009 3:27 PM:

" Agreed. By voting for Democrats or Republicans we are duped in to voting for more of the same. DEBT! "

Rob wrote on Jul 8, 2009 10:25 AM:

" Thank You Representative Hinkle, you hit the nail on the head, now will you support the efforts of the Campaign for Liberty? This group has been saying what you just said since before the announcement by candidates to run for the presidency. We chatted at the State convention in Spokane you were supporting John McCain, yet this mans ideals are the exact opposite of what you have written here. This country was made great by listening to the founding fathers (no big government, no entitlements, no central bank, and no to many other governmental obscenities disguised as beneficial to the people of this country). You have struck me as a good honest man and I can only hope that the current condition of the state of affairs in this country will show you that the founding fathers were right and follow their example. "

JENE wrote on Jul 8, 2009 9:10 AM:

" You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is the beginning of the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."

Adrian Rogers, 1931 "

Andrew wrote on Jul 8, 2009 8:30 AM:

" I have several copies, have read it several times, have most of the rest of Ms. Rand's writings and make a practice of handing them out. You are right. But you should still watch Idiocracy. "

Burt wrote on Jul 7, 2009 9:17 PM:

" Andrew I agree with you 100% "

Joe wrote on Jul 7, 2009 1:28 PM:

" Try reading "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand...you will see some interesting parallels. "

Andrew wrote on Jul 7, 2009 12:16 PM:

" Rent the movie Idiocracy. It accuratley depicts where the U.S. is heading. The movie is set in 2505, but it seems to me that we are already almost there. "