Tannishblog

One of the tenets of Buddhism is Inter-connectivity: Everything, everyone, is interconnected, interdependent. Our fragile society is so complex that sometimes it’s hard for people to connect the dots. But the following seemingly disparate news items are - to me, at least - so intertwined as to be one, yet I don’t hear anyone putting them together. Taken together, they form a bleak view of American politics over the past few decades.

Exhibit a: President Obama’s July, 25 2011 speech on the Debt Debacle.

This quote alone secures my vote.

“For the last decade, we’ve spent more money than we take in. In the year 2000, the government had a budget surplus. But instead of using it to pay off our debt, the money was spent on trillions of dollars in new tax cuts, while two wars and an expensive prescription drug program were simply added to our nation’s credit card.”

Exhibit B: An artistic portrayal of the state of education in America.

Put these together and what do you get? A nation with mistaken priorities.

Clearly the nations of the world would agree with this assessment. Our “leaders” should take this, pour it into a bucket and stir - Liberally.