In August, thanks to the kindness of a BJU faculty member who gave us some tickets, Abby, the Funks, and I visited the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. We had a good time touring the estate, especially the gardens, and we got to see something of the Gilded Age in person. The only disappointment was the confusion on the staff’s face when we asked if we could meet Mr. Biltmore himself.
I rarely comment on politics, but these facts are worth noting. On the day President George W. Bush was inaugurated, the national debt was $5,727,776,738,304.64, or $5.7 trillion. This past Friday, the national debt was $9,727,009,619,894.34, or $9.7 trillion. In other words, in less than eight years, the national debt has increased about $4 trillion. Now, the Bush Treasury wants to buy some $700 billion dollars in bad mortgages, and it is asking Congress to raise the statutory limit on the national debt to $11.3 trillion. A trillion here, a trillion there, and pretty soon we’re talking about real money.
The basic principle of political science is that the state—the politeia—shapes the souls of its citzens. Is it any wonder that our debt-ridden politeia has produced a nation of debtors?
The Backward Glance is the blog of Lincoln and Abby Mullen. Lincoln Mullen is a reference librarian at Bob Jones University's Mack Library and a student of history. Abby Mullen is a master's student in English at Bob Jones University. She teaches freshman English at BJU. [Read more »]
