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REPORTNUM:   GAO-06-990CG		

TITLE:     A Call for Modern-Day Patriots

DATE:   07/11/2006 
				                                                                         
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GAO-06-990CG

     

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Presentation by David M. Walker Comptroller General of the United States

United States Government Accountability Office

GAO

A Call for Modern-Day Patriots

Before the Sons of the American Revolution Annual Conference Dallas, Texas
July 11, 2006

GAO-06-990CG

Don, thank you for that kind introduction. President General Downing,
compatriots, ladies and gentleman, it is truly a pleasure to address you
in this 100th anniversary year of the Sons of the American Revolution
(SAR) receiving its congressional charter from then-President Teddy
Roosevelt. Teddy Roosevelt, George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln are
three of six former American leaders that I personally look to for
inspiration. Candidly, we need more leaders like them today.

Speaking of Abraham Lincoln, ten score and nineteen years ago, our
Founding Fathers wrote the United States Constitution. This historic
document created a new republic-one conceived in liberty and dedicated to
governance of the people, by the people, and for the people.

Let me put that another way: Thanks to the efforts of George Washington,
Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and other full-time patriots and
part-time politicians in Philadelphia 219 years ago, along with the later
enactment of the Bill of Rights, you and I can meet here today, exchange
ideas, and voice our opinions with no real threat of government
interference or retribution. Freedom of assembly and freedom of expression
are just two of the rights spelled out in the First Amendment to the
Constitution. Sadly, these basic rights, which are so easy to take for
granted, still aren't guaranteed in many parts of the world.

Today, the United States is the greatest nation on earth and one of the
world's longest-standing republics. We are also the only current global
"superpower" with economic, political, military, and cultural influence
that is felt around the globe. It's still true, as the saying goes, that
when America sneezes, the rest of the world catches a cold! In addition,
history shows that once America gets serious about an issue, we tend to go
the distance and others are affected by our resolve.

Given the passage of time and the nature and purpose of our organization,
the SAR, it seems reasonable and appropriate to ask this question: What
would the Founding Fathers say if they came back today? This evening, I'm
speaking not just as the Comptroller General of the United States but also
as a concerned citizen, father, grandfather, and SAR member, all roles
that I cherish deeply.

Based on a review of our past history, our current state, and our future
prospects, it seems likely the founders would be pleased, proud, and
concerned all at once.

They'd be pleased our republic has lasted over 200 years, and that faith
and freedom still ring true in this great land. They'd be pleased we've
eliminated the scourge of slavery while providing a broader range of civil
rights to all of our citizens, including women and people of color. They'd
also be pleased we've spanned this great continent and firmly established
our nation's place in world history.

The founders would be proud we've become a beacon of liberty and the
leader of the free world. They'd also be proud of our superpower status
and the relatively high standard of living and degree of personal freedoms
enjoyed by most Americans.

While I could go on and on about our country's accomplishments, which are
many, there's little doubt in my mind the founders would also be very
concerned about several matters.

For one thing, the founders didn't believe in full-time politicians. After
all, our first elected officials were citizen legislators who viewed
elected office as a form of public service rather than a professional job
or career. Most of them earned a living as farmers or businessmen. Today,
many elected officials consider themselves "professional politicians," a
concept that most of our founders and a number of Americans today would
consider to be an "oxymoron." The founders were also closely attuned to
the value of thrift and the perils of debt-beliefs our government and many
Americans seem to have lost sight of today.

The namesake of my SAR chapter, George Washington, was drafted to run as
president after successful careers as both a farmer and a military
commander. Our first president practiced what he preached by rejecting the
continued power of the presidency and serving just two terms in the
presidency before returning to private life. Today, well over 90 percent
of members of Congress are reelected, in part because gerrymandering of
political districts. In addition, some of them serve in the same job for
decades, and many have been politicians for most of their working lives.

Many of the founders were also very skeptical of political parties. Why?
Because, believe it or not, George Washington and others were concerned
that partisan political concerns might someday trump the public interest!
Can you imagine that happening?

Today, due in part to the gerrymandering of congressional districts and
the migration of members from the House to the Senate and the power of
incumbency, many members of Congress are protected and the House and
Senate as institutions are often polarized along party and ideological
lines. In addition, the so-called "sensible center" is relatively small
and under constant attack.

The founders also believed in the concept that we are one nation under
God. They strongly opposed any attempts by the state to establish a
national church or impose a particular brand of religion on the people.
But my own personal view is they would be shocked and saddened to see how
rigidly the First Amendment has come to be interpreted. After all, our
Founding Fathers used to begin their public meetings with a prayer; and
Congress still does!

Our Founding Fathers also believed in the concepts of prudence and
stewardship. They recognized how important it is for a nation to avoid
excessive debt and to not unduly burden future generations. Even committed
federalists would be surprised by how large the U.S. government has become
and how much of our nation's spending is unrelated to the federal
government's express and enumerated role in the Constitution. We seem to
have forgotten the 10th amendment to the Constitution.

I can only imagine what the Founding Fathers would think of our
government's massive deficits and growing debt burdens. I'm sure the
Founding Fathers would be equally shocked at how little individual
Americans save and how eagerly they seem to pile on personal debt. We sure
have come a long way from the days of "debtor prisons" and Ben Franklin's
warning that "He who goes a-borrowing goes a-sorrowing."

Believe it or not, the United States is now the world's largest debtor
nation! In the last five years alone, our nation's total liabilities and
unfunded commitments have gone up from about $20 trillion to over $46
trillion! That's about $411,000 per household, and it's growing every
second, of every minute, of every day due to continuing deficits, known
demographic trends, and compounding interest costs.

Unfortunately, our government has done a poor job of explaining these
numbers to the American people. It seems we still have a long way to go to
realize Thomas Jefferson's idea that the government's finances should be
"as clear and intelligible as a merchant's book."

The federal government still isn't able to obtain an audit opinion on its
annual financial statements, primarily because the Defense Department,
which spends over $400 billion per year, is unauditable! Furthermore, the
federal government as a whole still lacks a summary annual report that is
both useful and used. It's a good thing that the Sarbanes-Oxley law
doesn't apply to the federal government. If it did, a number of federal
officials might be wearing wide-striped suits.

The bottom line is that our nation's financial statements and long-range
fiscal projections are filled with numbers that are big and bad. While the
economy is strong today, it's clear that unless our elected officials get
serious soon, we're headed for very rough seas in the years ahead-seas
that could threaten to swamp our ship of state if we don't change course.

Today, America has at least four serious deficits. The first is our budget
deficit. The second is our savings deficit. The third is our
balance-of-payments deficit. And the last, and possibly most serious one,
is our nation's leadership deficit. The truth is our nation's leadership
gap is a serious and nonpartisan challenge that requires a bipartisan and
cross-sectoral solution.

Too many people today have a false sense of security due to recent healthy
economic growth, modest interest rates, and moderate inflation levels. But
things could change relatively quickly if we don't get serious soon about
addressing our large, known, and growing fiscal imbalance. For example,
foreign investors may lose their appetite for financing our national debt,
and if they do, interest rates will go higher and higher.

America's current response to our long-term fiscal condition, including
celebrations of modest declines in our large and imprudent current
on-budget deficit, is a little like holding a beach party while a huge
tsunami builds on the horizon. Too many people are shouting "party on"
rather than heading for higher ground!

The simple truth is we need more leaders in the public, private, and
citizen sectors with the courage, commitment, creativity, and credibility
to sound the alarm, make tough choices, and stay the course until we
starting seeing real results. We need more political leaders who are
patriots rather than partisans. We also need more leaders who take their
stewardship responsibility seriously. By stewardship I mean not just
generating positive results today and leaving things better off when you
depart than when you came, but also better positioned for the future.
Unless something changes soon, the baby boom generation may be the first
in the history of our great nation to fail this test!

Why should the SAR care about our nation's deficits and mounting debt
levels? The simple answer is because this rising tide of red ink threatens
the future of our country, our children, and our grandchildren. I now have
three grandkids, and I have to tell you that I'm very concerned about the
quality of life they will have and burdens they will face in 30 or 40
years if we continue on our present path.

We have to keep in mind that while we are a great country with even
greater potential, no republic in the history of the world has stood the
test of time. In addition, history tells us that no "superpower" has been
able to maintain its status over the long-term. The Roman Republic lasted
over 500 years, but in the end it fell for various reasons. Three of them
seem to be particularly relevant today. The first reason is declining
moral values and political comity at home (that's "comity" spelled with an
"ity" and not an "edy"). The second reason is overconfidence and
overextension abroad. The third reason is fiscal irresponsibility of the
central government.

At the end of the Constitutional Convention, a woman approached Benjamin
Franklin and asked what kind of government the delegates had decided on.
Franklin reportedly said, "We have given you a republic, if you can keep
it." He was serious about the challenge of doing so then, and we should be
today as well.

Let us not forget the old admonition, those who do not study history may
be doomed to repeat it. We can and must learn from the past and take steps
to prepare for a better tomorrow.

We, the members of the SAR, should reaffirm the vision of Washington,
Jefferson, Franklin, Madison, and our other founders and patriots by
speaking up and demanding change when it comes to our nation's four key
deficits. We need to act, and act soon. Failure to do so will ultimately
harm our future economic growth, our future standard of living, and even
our long-term national security.

Don't get me wrong. Those who know me know that I'm an optimist by nature.
After all, America has overcome many great challenges in the past, and I'm
confident we'll ultimately face the facts and address our four deficits.
In the meantime, however, I'm committed to doing my part to help make sure
we do so sooner rather than later.

In closing, George Washington said that we should not throw upon posterity
the burden which we ourselves ought to bear. We, the members of the SAR,
should help to ensure that George Washington's timeless words of wisdom
are both heard and heeded today.

We are a great country and we have much to be proud of and thankful for.
However, our nation faces serious challenges and SAR members should be
part of the solution. We owe it to our Founding Fathers and the other
patriots who founded this great nation to be informed and involved.

Let's work together to be sure that the three most powerful words in the
Constitution, "we the people," come alive. If we and other modern-day
patriots act, we can help to further the cause of our Founding Fathers
while also helping to ensure that our best years are ahead of us and that
our republic is the first to stand the test of time. The time for action
is now!

May God bless America, may God bless the SAR, and may God watch over our
troops on the field and in action around the world.

Thank you for your time and attention.

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