We’ve Lost More Than Our ‘AAA’ Rating

So here we are my fellow Americans, starting a fresh week after learning some pretty dark news. For starters, we learned that the credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s on Friday downgraded the credit rating of the United States, stripping us of our gold medal and replacing it with a tarnished silver pennant. Yes, we have lost the coveted AAA status, presumably due to the months long partisan bickering and the lack of a “credible” plan to tackle our long-term debt. If that embarrassing news wasn’t sobering enough, Americans also learned a few hours later that 30 plus US Special Forces members perished in a helicopter crash apparently the result of enemy actions.

I am somewhat embarrassed to share that my sadness induced by the revelation of the deaths was quickly washed over by a steady flow of angry thoughts. Anger at policymakers and an American populace that continue to support (either actively or passively) our protracted stabilization campaign in this war torn, and tribal land. I asked myself, why do we continue to almost blindly support and underwrite a multi-billion dollar, cross-generational military operation that years ago reached the point of diminishing returns? Didn’t we already dismantle Afghanistan based Al Queda? How about Osama –– did we not liquidate him several months ago? (recall he was hiding in Pakistan not Afghanistan). Really, how did we get “mission creeped” into playing cat and mouse with the Taliban for over 10 years? Hang with me here while I finish my rhetorical rant — it gets even better. Why is a dysfunctional and under-developed Afghanistan the sole responsibility of our nation? Sure, D.C. decision makers tell us that this campaign is an international effort with over 48 troop contributing nations. However, a quick look at the numbers clearly illustrates that this is not an equitable split. In case you didn’t know, the U.S. has over 90,000 troops in country, the next major contributor, the U.K., has approx. 9,500 troops on the ground (source: International Security Assistance Force, NATO, 2011). Why are we paying the greatest price ($$ and young blood) for an operation that the dominant narrative tells us will safeguard the west from fundamentalist fueled terrorism?

As so many Americans struggle to climb out of the financial hole they find themselves in (i.e unemployment, upside down mortgages etc.), how does our financially bankrupt government manage to justify underwriting this protracted misadventure? I am sure the boys and girls at S&P have been asking the same questions for months if not years now.

Lastly, I sincerely hope that all Americans now realize that we simply cannot continue to donate our own blood to an anemic Far East nation when America itself is on the operating table. If we don’t soon take corrective actions, the silver medal recently hung around our collective necks will be the very least of our worries.