And Much of Madness, and More of Sin...

And Horror the soul of the plot. (Edgar Allan Poe, The Conqueror Worm)

I have always liked this particular poem by Poe. I think this line sums up our current situation in America: the madness has seized hold of so many it can no longer even be recognized as madness.

And yet madness it is: the philosophy that sees borrowing money as the way out of debt, and if that doesn't work, borrow still more. And angels sob, in the poem - elsewhere, the Adversary laughs. He above all knows well the trap that debt lays at our feet, the snare that awaits the unwary borrower.

Here is the article I was reading at CNN.com: http://money.cnn.com/2009/07/06/news/economy/arra_stimulus_payouts/index.htm

Truly? Early signs of progress? We misread the problem, but we are sure the solution that we have in place is the right answer, just give it time? Let me say it as simply as I can put it: you can't fix the economy by running up more debt. One problem, you might solve. But what of the monstrous debt you create? Is that somehow less of a problem?

It does not have to be how it is. I think that many people don't even know what proper government looks like. But what we are doing - giving more and more of our wealth to the government, so that they can fix out every problem in life - this is madness. And we have to stop it. 2010 will be a critical election cycle, as it is our next chance to address this wrong that has been done, and is still being done. We need to find those who would lead us, not coddle us; represent us, not repeal all that our Founding Fathers left us as their legacy.