OT: US National debt

[Fyron]

Raging Deadstar said:
I'm unsure but from that fact I think it was because by the time his second term was up it was World War 2, Bad idea to switch governments in that time. This is something that is worrying many of us Europeans, What happens if the the United States is "Officially" at war with a country during an election year?

"Official" as in there has been a formal declaration of war, unlike the situation in Iraq.

Suspending the processes of democracy during a war is definitely a bad idea... Temporarily turning the nation into an oligarchy just because of a crisis makes the whole concept of that democracy paper-thin and destroys its credibility and legitimacy. Elections were not suspended during the US Civil War. Lincoln refused to do so, even though most people would have been supportive of suspension... Neither were they suspended during either of the World Wars. Elections in New York were not suspended during the aftermath of 9/11. Elections during the middle of the Vietnam War were not suspended. The presidency transitioned from Johnson to Nixon, and the war effort was not catastrophically affected (it was in fact eventually ended by Nixon...). Continuing the regular practice of democracy during a crisis demonstrates its strength. If new people are elected to various offices, so be it. They can work with the outgoing officials up until the time the switch occurs to ensure a smooth transition. It is not as if the entire government switches immediately to the newly elected officials without any period of transition...

[Azselendor]

The one thing I liked about Lincoln was his critics. Lincoln let his critics bash him left and right and insult him all the time and didn't suppress speech (too much, I know he censored a few papers). Then when Lincoln died, his critics stopped for a minute and looked at what Lincoln was actually saying and trying to do and said to themselves, "He was a better man than us"

But I totally agree, democracy should never be suspended in time of crisis. Hell, if 2/3rds of the US state and federal gov't was wiped out by some freak disaster, I hope they hold emergency elections instead of declaring martial law. After all, Martial Law has never been declared by a sitting president. I hope this one holds to that tradition at least.

[Karibu]

Klvino [ORB] said:

Hell, if 2/3rds of the US state and federal gov't was wiped out by some freak disaster, I hope they hold emergency elections instead of declaring martial law.

Heh, you should read Tom Clancy's Lion and Hyena's. Great book where happens just that.