PBS Frontline: Ten Trillion and Counting - Do Politicians Even Care About Our Money?

"We are under an unsustainable course right now because we made more promises under three main programs: Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security than can be fulfilled at any sensible tax rate. We have a really serious problem and it hasn't been addressed."

I NetFlix streamed the PBS show Frontline: Ten Trillion and Counting (2009) last night. It focused on the U.S.'s ever GROWING DEFICIT and you know what? It scared me. It stated that by the year 2085 that the three unfunded liabilities: Social Security (sorta unfunded), Medicare and Medicaid will consume EVERY SINGLE DOLLAR of the country's budget and that there will be NOTHING left to spend on anything else ... at ALL. Not even a pack of Hubba Bubba.

Does this mean we will have to make major changes to these liabilities? Most definitely. And what changes can we make? Would your prefer that most Americans get screwed by Wall Street if Social Security goes private? Because I know the Wall Street financial advisers would love to rape the American public for a few percent on every dollar in their retirement funds. Or do you think we'll have to make this "Health Care Bill", that everyone seems to hate or love, be actually agreed upon and made to work so it can make health care cheaper? F*ck, I sure hope so.

Want some more good news?! Up until 2002 there was a rule entitled "Pay Go" which meant if you wanted a new spending program you either had to raise taxes or make a spending cut on something else. We couldn't pass a lot of things, such as the Medicare prescription drugs program (Part D) during the Bush Sr and Clinton years, so in my book "Pay Go" was a success as we ended up with a BUDGET SURPLUS leading into little George's first term. Then little George pushed through Medicare Part D program which over time could potentially cost EIGHT trillion dollars (and will cost more than Social Security ever will). We borrow every year to pay for it and it will be more expensive than both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars since those wars could "potentially" end. Medicare part D, although it is a nice service for the elderly (and hopefully I will not ever need it), will never end. EVER.

To conclude, I sure hope we can reduce the cost of health care so we can dig ourselves out of this spiraling, out of control, deficit that Wall Street and little George have caused. Also, you may want to invest in a nice Chinese dictionary. But before all that, watch PBS Frontline: Ten Trillion and Counting. It's thirteen trillion dollars worth of some scary sh*t.