Great column by Paul Krugman today: Cannibalize the Future.
"One general rule of modern politics is that the people who talk most about future generations — who go around solemnly declaring that we’re burdening our children with debt — are, in practice, the people most eager to sacrifice our future for short-term political gain. You can see that principle at work in the House Republican budget, which starts with dire warnings about the evils of deficits, then calls for tax cuts that would make the deficit even bigger, offset only by the claim to have a secret plan to make up for the revenue losses somehow or other."
We must re-learn how to focus on long-term goals instead of short-term benefit, and be willing to pay the present cost for future benefit.