Vote for the candidate who'll tell us what we can't have

Vote for the candidate who'll tell us what we can't have. Your grandkids will thank you.

The American economy is in a tailspin.

Reputable economists say the threat to the banking system is unequalled since the Great Depression. Things could be worse.

Our friends the Chinese could cash in a few trillion dollars of the IOUs we've sold them over the past four years to finance reckless increases in federal spending. Sure, we're their biggest trading partner and they are unlikely to knock our economy down any further.

But they could, thanks to Washington's refusal to either stop spending or to increases taxes to cover the cost.

Maybe 2007 voodoo economics work for you. I doubt it.

If you live beyond your means, your friendly local banker will tell you to either increase your income or decrease your spending.

If you're a Washington politician, you keep on spending and slap the tax bite on future generations by peddling IOUs.

And that's wrong.

Our kids and grandkids shouldn't bear the tax burden for our refusal to pay the piper today.

So vote, on the national level, for the candidate who'll tell us what we can't have.

Vote for the guy who says he won't seek federal dollars for a new park on Main Street, because spending those dollars will drive up taxes.

And he won't vote for spending increases without increasing taxes for up-front payment.

Go on, find that guy. Good luck.

Good luck finding an incumbent, on the national level, who will tell you about one single federal program that he has eliminated.

Not a program that he's voted against. A program that he has hunted down and killed.

Just one out of the tens of thousands of government programs on the books today. Find that guy. Good luck.

Find the guy running for national office who'll choose, on the record, between Social Security and the space program.

We're mired in debt.

No one wants to pay more taxes. The Social Security system is running out of money.

Which is more important: caring for the elderly or having little robots rolling around on Mars?

Find the guy with the guts to make the hard choices. Good luck.

Mind you, I'm talking about the people running for national office.

On the local and state level, we're in far better shape.

Vote for the guy who'll tell us what we can't have.

Or vote for the status quo, enjoy your recession, and hope that the Chinese keep those IOUs in their pockets.