McCain and Mordor

"The idea seems to be if the House GOP refuses to raise the debt ceiling, a default crisis or gradual government shutdown will ensue and the public will turn en masse against Barack Obama. The Republican House that failed to raise the debt ceiling would somehow escape all the blame. Then Democrats would have no choice but to pass a balanced budget amendment and reform entitlements, and the Tea Party hobbits could return to Middle Earth having defeated Mordor," he said. "The reality is the debt limit will be raised one way or another. The only question now is how much fiscal reform and what political fallout."  - Sen. John McCain

Well, Mr. McCain ... Let me remind you of  something.   The Hobbits were the good guys.   Well, that's not quite correct.  They weren't the good guys.  The Hobbits were some of the good guys.

The Hobbits were chosen for their strength of character -- their unwillingness to abuse power - to perform a particular task for which they were best suited, and that was to bear the One Ring to its destruction.

Hobbits did not seek adventure.   They would rather be at home living their lives. The Hobbits also knew how to live life, work hard, play hard, love hard.   Still,  when some were called, they courageously went.

But they were not the only good guys.   There were Dwarves and Elves and Men -- not all of them, mind you, from any subset of the population, but some from each who knew evil when they saw it and answered the call, "if not us, who?"

14 Trillion in debt.  Spending 167% of our "income", borrowing that extra 67% on top of that debt.  We've reached our credit limit which we keep bumping up, up, up every time we get close to it, and we show no sign of changing our spending habits.  And by "we" I mean Washington DC.

What did I read today?  It's like a family making $50,000 a year spending $88,000 a year with $330,000 in debt. What would you advise them?  Have them beg for a higher credit limit?  They haven't put a budget forward in over 2 years, and the only one the President has ever suggested calls for spending even more.  But the ones trying to intervene and put a stop to this self-destructive behavior, the president says (through his press secretary) are "behaving like children."

Projection anyone?  Hell, it's what they do best.

So go ahead and belittle, or patronize, or whatever the hell it is you thought you were doing.   By doing so you show a part of your heart has been lost to Mordor, sad to say, even after courageously giving so much for Middle Earth earlier in your life.

Sauramon was once good, too.   Turn back, before it's too late.