The Tragic Distraction

November 25, 2005

The Tragic Distraction

The war in Iraq is a tragedy for many reasons. The most obvious is the unnecessary loss of life, the cost on our national treasury, the loss of good will the United States had in the world, and the terrorist recruiting that has ensued. However, the war is posing a threat to our country that is perhaps even more profound. This nation is facing challenges that will impact the very core of our society and our civilization, and these challenges are being addressed by lip service and benign neglect at best, and intentional disregard at worst. The world we grew up in is rapidly changing and we are acting as if it our prosperous and pre-eminent position is beyond doubt. However, there are forces, some of our own doing, that are growing and will disrupt our lives if we continue in ignorant bliss. The things I am talking about are the federal budget, trade, and credit deficits; our complete dependence on cheap oil most of which is imported; global warming; our falling behind in education; our failing health care system, to name my favorites. Each of these issues and many others I have not mentioned hang ominously in the horizon.

These issues have proven of little interest to the right wing leaders of this country. The war in Iraq gives them plenty of cover and enables us to ignore the peril. This distraction is possibly the most significant tragedy of the war.

If we wait until creditor nations come calling on our debt, or even more threatening to our way of life, if we wait until the peak of oil production becomes painfully apparent, then it will be too late, the changes thrust upon us will be so large that our economy will suffer a profound decline. If we wait until the final dots dry on the proof of global warming, we could be in for massive dislocations. If we wait until China, India, and the many other "developing" countries that are determined to surpass us produce the best engineering and science, then we will become the third world at their mercy.

Preceding generations of Americans worked hard, invested, saved, and handed us a country that was prosperous and secure. Now it's our turn. We owe it to our parents and grandparents, to ourselves, and to our children and grandchildren to step up and sacrifice from our plenty and invest in America's future. If we do so, the results will be spectacular. We will transform our economy into an economy that is sustainable long into the future, an economy that will leave a nation that is prosperous, secure, and healthy for many generations to come. We will once again become a nation that inspires the world to better things. Future generations will praise our accomplishments.

On the other hand, if we continue to consume our nation's resources with no preparation for the future, the consequences will probably be catastrophic. Our economy will collapse. Transportation and jobs will disappear. Food production will plummet. International conflicts over oil and other resources will take place. Future generations will look at ours as the era of irresponsibility and wonder why we did not feel a moral obligation to provide them with the keys to a prosperous life like had been handed us.

The choice is ours.

- Jerry McNerney

http://weblog.jerrymcnerney.com/2005/11/the_tragic_dist.html