“The US government is on a “burning platform” of unsustainable policies and practices with fiscal deficits, chronic healthcare underfunding, immigration and overseas military commitments threatening a crisis if action is not taken soon.
There are striking similarities between America’s current situation and the factors that brought down Rome, including declining moral values and political civility at home, an over-confident and over-extended military in foreign lands and fiscal irresponsibility by the central government. The fiscal imbalance meant the US was on a path toward an explosion of debt.
With the looming retirement of baby boomers, spiraling healthcare costs, plummeting savings rates and increasing reliance on foreign lenders, we face unprecedented fiscal risks. Current US policy on education, energy, the environment, immigration and Iraq also was on an unsustainable path. Our very prosperity is placing greater demands on our physical infrastructure. Billions of dollars will be needed to modernize everything from highways and airports to water and sewage systems.”
David Walker – 2007
David Walker is a great American. As the Comptroller General, he brought attention to our nation’s financial problems. Folks were beginning to listen to him and beginning to understand the path we were(are) on.
Unfortunately ten years later, it would appear that he was marginalized. The end result of the offer that he received to leave his Comptroller position has resulted in him losing a national speaking platform and having little impact on fiscal policy. It is a shame…
Powerful comment. Being unaware of him, I googled Mr. Walker and he apparently is running for governor of Connecticut(as of 3/18) so maybe his voice will not be lost:
http://dailycampus.com/stories/2018/3/21/gubernatorial-candidate-david-walker-talks-taxes-pensions-and-party-politics
The Burning Platform is a great image, simile or metaphor for what is going on in America today.
Someone ought to make a website with that name.
And with a great photo.