Congrats Americans for our wonderful leaders having amassed a record national debt of $13 trillion, but who’s counting.  It’s a gift of life-long debt from us, the indulgent me-generation to our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.  We have recklessly and immorally mortgaged the future of our children and descendants. Facts from “Federal debt tops $13 trillion mark” about the national debt:

• $2.4 trillion increase in 500 days since President Obama took office
• $4.9 billion a day increase since Obama took office
• $1.7 billion a day increase under President Bush

An article in the New York Post states:

“Actually, [the $13 trillion is] just part of the debt we have dumped on future generations. That’s because most of what the government owes isn’t on the official books.  Social Security, for instance, faces unfunded liabilities of more than $15.8 trillion. . . . it is dwarfed by Medicare’s looming budget shortfall of between $50 trillion and $100 trillion . . . .  So the real national debt may be as much as nine times bigger than the official estimate.”

Our great and wise President Abraham Lincoln said:

“You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down. You cannot further the brotherhood of many by inciting class hatred. You cannot build character and courage by taking away men’s initiative and independence. You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.”

It is tragic that our leaders are unware of or simply don’t care about the truths spoken by President Lincoln over a century ago.