Up to this January 2009, from its released annual fiscal outlook, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) painted a bleak picture of the economy: the budget deficit, and growing debt. Most of those facts are bolder now more than before the Elections, every day so even more.
In fact CBO reports a stunning $1.186 trillion budget deficit for fiscal year 2009 and large deficits for as far as the eye can see. Even these large numbers, however, understate true size of the deficits that Bush' outgoing Administration is leaving behind for years to come, because by law and so politically, the CBO forecast CANNOT incorporate the costs of ongoing policies that are not reflected in current laws. Is it necessary that otherwise reports would be heartbreaking enough to cast a taste of erroneous feel?
As a matter of fact, unlikely most European development models, America has for so long portrayed itself as "Made" for living large even when resources are knowingly non renewable... At a time when, from Rio Earth Summit in 1992, interrelations between Ecology and Economy were clearly shown with world scientific renown's Official seal.
Environmentally friendly housing kicked in most European neighborhoods along with educational programs and curricula nearly 6 to 7 years after Rio Earth Summit. Governments followed redirecting businesses towards energy efficient housing models and during one of my business trips to Sweden I remember in one of those remote small towns by Karlstad where biogas and ecologically designed condominiums became a well balanced rustic feature of the decors... In other words, In Europe Governments did not sacrifice the public good for the sake of Old businesses. Europe did not wait for an energy crisis to realize that design should be performance-driven and coupled to partnering, lean construction and environmentally-friendly system designs for buildings and their external environments. In the US, the cost of reconversion of existing housing models to environmentally sound ones, combined to actual market conditions is itself economically unthinkable!
What happens in the housing market is prevalent in the Food, transportation as well as community economic development at large known under a more confusing and sophisticated term coined as "banking": lack of adaptation and political will in a changing world environment more prone to Cooperation, Global Peace than Individual Salvation. We are the Salvation Army or We are the Dying Army, not a duo instead, a TANDEM.
In another stance, the baby boom generation is starting to retire, plunging this ongoing deficit to unprecedented rates since World War II. Such sparse data across the news media does not seem to significantly send the signal enough for the average citizen to help understand required sacrifices yet ahead beyond the Inauguration Day in Washington DC. Put in context, the picture is dazzling with restrained consumer spending anyway.
Well, on the condition that the media you rely on put the pieces and bits in context. So far which media are you still relying on to do that Work for your convenience?
The matter of the fact is that most won't do it, otherwise there would be no agenda: wherever carrots are offered, beware, sticks are not that far away it seems...
"What time is it?" asked the Sophomore.
"Time to look at other news media alternatives!" said the Ph D.
"Assuredly that time... will never go away!"
(Continued in similar title to come)
M. Demba Ndiaye
danethen.yahoo.com
