It's A Gray Area: Politicians should take a real risk

As we enter into the second decade of the 21st century, we should pause and reflect upon probably the largest reality of human life, which is that circumstances change, and those who do not change with them generally drift into decay and irrelevance. With that in mind, here is a request to our nation's political leaders that they change their ways, and hopefully help us change ours, in light of the new realities of our times.

The most fundamental thing that must be done is for our leaders to tell us the truth as they actually see it. And that should be followed by giving us their honest recommendations about what changes should be made. This is simply a matter of patriotism.

As such, they should actually "dare to lose" their coveted elected positions in this process. Why? Because some things are more important in life than political security, and, for the good of our country, this is one of them. We need some honest leadership! So with this request in mind, here is a list of some of the issues that must be addressed, and the sooner the better. If you want a fuller explanation about them, refer to prior Gray Area columns on the Daily Pilot's website or my website.

Focusing first upon domestic issues, the biggest problem facing our businesses, which are the engines of our economic strength and jobs, is uncertainty in the marketplace. So until everyone knows how much the government is going to intervene in our commercial lives, businesses will not take risks. And when businesses do not take risks, economies stagnate. Thus please make it known that government interferences, as opposed to overseeing such things as breach of warranty and contract, safety in the workplace, fraud and anti-trust violations, are firmly behind us.

Next, recognize that the federal government will not be taken seriously about our budget deficits unless it honestly addresses our entitlement programs, and the same thing is true with the states if they do not honestly address our public pensions. Dare to lose if you must, but our governments will never regain their strengths and balance their budgets until these issues are brought under control.