A month ago the blogosphere erupted when news emerged that presidential hopeful Mitt Romney is worth a whopping $202 million, and that he could become the richest president in the last half century.
Only months earlier, the political landscape was characterized by the Occupy protests that aimed to hold the greedy “1 percent” responsible, and give, or at least share some power and wealth with the so-called “99 percent”.
In another few years, these will be far from mind and yet another trend, movement or issue will invade the American psyche. Mitt Romney will have either successfully captured the title of commander-in-chief, or disappeared into political oblivion. Either way, many will forget about the once-controversial issue of his wealth and the Occupy protests will be a distant memory.
Mitt Romney and the Occupy movement may become things of the past, but the underlying issues with the economy and our system of taxes will continue to surface in different forms. For years, these issues have divided Republicans and Democrats, the young and the old, the rich and the poor. Throughout the last 30 years, political parties have made slow progress and compromises on other issues, but the economy continues to ignite fervor.
Why can’t we make progress on the economy? Recent measures to decrease unemployment have been successful, and it seems as if the recession has come to an end. But we still have a ways to go as a nation. National debt exceeds $15 trillion.
The reason considerable progress has not been made – and never will be if changes are not implemented – is because the American people have not as significant of sacrifices as those of post-WWII America.
During WWII, the American people were forced to make concessions. Rations on food, gas and clothing were implemented and every single American was affected by these changes. Many families started “victory gardens” in an effort to support troop morale and save money on food. “Any Bonds Today?” a popular song by Irving Berlin, encouraged Americans to buy war bonds.
This decade has seen the dawn of two costly wars. What sacrifices have we made as individuals? For those who don’t have loved ones overseas, life goes on as normal. We go to class, spend many evenings dining out and take the occasional shopping trip for a new “must have.” For most, it’s easy to go days without thinking about the war or the cost it has accumulated.
I am just as guilty as the next person. It’s hard to relinquish what many of us view as inalienable rights. But the fact remains – OUR national tab is growing. OUR job as American citizens is to help pay it.
Granted, that’s easier said than done. When it comes down to paying taxes or forcing that greedy “1 percent” to pay accordingly, it’s like pulling teeth.
We must remember that making those sacrifices is worth it and that the only way our generation will achieve greatness is if we take a cue from history.
Reach the columnist at eeaton@asu.edu
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