We must make do with less

We've been living beyond our means, both as a nation and as individuals.  But our public discourse ignores this fact as we search for solutions that allow us to continue to live beyond our means.  Living beyond our means is a major cause of our problems; it can't be part of the solution.

We need to scale back.  We need to accept the fact that we can't solve our problems without changing the way we live.  Resources we've been consuming need to be redirected toward creating jobs for one another and paying off previously incurred debts, both public and private.  This redirection of resources will appear as higher prices and/or higher taxes.  We'll have less left over, and therefore less "stuff".

The good news is that we don't need nearly as much stuff as we've been consuming.  Current levels of consumption aren't necessary for happiness; if they were, our great grandparents would have killed themselves before they had time to reproduce.  We can be happy with less.  But no one is willing to speak the truth.

The fear is that reducing consumption will make jobs disappear, and this will make the economic situation worse.  But this doesn't have to be true.  Reduced consumption doesn't have to mean reduced spending.  Part of the solution (at least for the U.S.) is for people to be willing to pay higher prices for goods created by American jobs, even when cheaper products are available from foreign sources.  In effect, this is voluntary inflation, which is better than the involuntary inflation we will experience if we don't take action to resolve our current problems.