A lesson for the leaders of Kansas City. And the country

Besides the excellent article yesterday in The New York Times on the need and intelligence of cutting the US' defense/military budget, there was another terrific one by Thomas L. Friedman (a last, before his 4 month sabbatical so he can write a book) on the hard choices we, as Americans, are going to have to start making if we're going to have balanced budgets.  And a working society.

He cites one Kasim Reed, Atlanta, Georgia's relatively new Mayor and what he's done for and with the city.  It's an important article and one which I'd recommend you read (see link below).

Rather than cover the article, I want to merely quote Mr. Reed here, as a lesson for mayors of cities, legislators in state and federal governments and even for you and me--"Mr., Mrs. and Ms. America", as it were:

“We are not going to be what we have been for the last 50 years if we don’t change, and everybody in a position to have more than two people listening to them needs to be saying that, because the time we have to make the adjustments is running out. We need to get on with it. Whether it’s the deficit, education or investing in young people or immigration — we are not tackling [them] in the fundamental ways required. We’re just doing it piecemeal. We’re just playing and surviving. And we need to be very clear where just surviving takes you: it takes you to a lifestyle of just survival.”

“The bottom line is that for the country to do and to be what we have been ... there must be a generation tough enough to stick out its chin and take the hit. ... It is time to begin having the types of mature and honest conversations necessary to deal effectively with the new economic realities we are facing as a nation. We simply cannot keep kicking the can down the road.”

I hope people are listening and paying attention.

Link to original post:  http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/26/opinion/26friedman.html?src=me&ref=general