In my opinion, Democrats are falling into a deadly trap.

[jtuck004]

47. In my opinion, respectfully, that's a load of crap.

If FDR had said "we could do so much better if we weren't spending so much" this country would have been over. Instead we spent somewhere around 113% of our GDP and turned this into the single most powerful nation on the earth - and made a country where people had OPPORTUNITY to work for a better life for themselves and future generations.Whether it was war or job programs, this country is great precisely because we used our debt as an investment in our future, not to line the pockets of a Mi$$ Rmoney.

The Republicans don't give a sweet god damn about the debt except when Democrats hold office - never have, never will - except where it provides food or shelter for someone with low income, where it is spent to help for family planning or medical care, or where it is used to make sure housing is available. The have no trouble whatsoever building a military on the back of the American taxpayer, making lower incomes lower and our debt higher.

Beyond that, we are a FIAT currency. I know most people went to school in the U.S., where they are still teaching economics as if it is 1844, but we have a fiat currency because we didn't want to live any longer under the hard limitations of the gold standard. Now we have that power and flexibility, with a nation that is completely ignorant about the advantage it offers us.

THIS IS THE PARTY OF OPPORTUNITY, OF GROWTH, OF A FUTURE. Until we believe it, however, and start pushing that agenda we can argue and beat each other up all day long, but for someone outside the room, when they see EVERYONE saying the debt is too high, they are left with the impression that the Democrats just don't have the stomach to do what is necessary.

It is time to start investing in this country again, and the Democrats are the only ones that can do it. The same ones that took office when we were losing 800,000 jobs a month and argued with the thugs as the debt climbed along with poverty.

Take a look at our own government projections. The CBO says the unemployment rate should be back to full employment by 2014. Is there anyone delusional enough to still believe that? The reason is because we haven't attacked jobs, the thing people MOST want, and instead spend political capital making a few people at the top of major insurance companies a lot richer.

We need more investment, which means more debt. But democrats need to talk about how good an investment in the American people can be, how it brought vigor to the South with electricity, how it brought commerce and freedom to roads, how we educated 30 years of returning veterans by paying ALL of their tuition, how we got people jobs with CETA...

- Does anyone remember how creative people were in the 60's and 70's? Street vendors, architecture, millions of people in school experimenting and learning things - the Internet was the result of that, btw - and the result of investment in the people of this country -

...or we can snivel around like third way Republicans (my apologies to Third Way Manny) and talk about debt. But if we lose...well, maybe it's because of all their dollars, or maybe it's because Democrats didn't get out and vote...or maybe, just maybe, it will be because we didn't offer them an alternative vision, a reason to get up and get going, a knowledge that if they want to work, work is there waiting for them, and a stronger country for all of it.