Exjackly

Nuke the Fridge may become this decades equivalent of “jumping the shark“.  Now, don’t get me wrong – Indiana Jones is an immensely entertaining series of movies.  Yes, it asks you to suspend disbelief regularly and just watch for the entertainment bit.  However, nuking the fridge was so over the top

Movies and TV series are not the only places that can Nuke the Fridge.  Individuals can do it (jump the couch).  Companies can destroy their credibility and business with a single over the top action (Arthur Anderson).

Governments are not immune to this.  When a government fails spectacularly the results are not as giggle-worthy as Harrison Ford stepping out of the fridge with a mushroom cloud in the background.  A government failure of that magnitude produces a lot of pain and suffering internally and is seldom quickly resolved.

Zimbabwe is an example of a current such crisis.  A failed land redistribution effort has led to years of hyperinflation with no end in sight.  It does not always have to be a quick detonation.  Japan suffered a real estate decline for more than a decade.  This dragged down their economy for a significant amount of time.  The country still has not fully recovered.

My worry is that there is an acceleration in the US government’s travel towards the same situation.  Rising federal budgets lead to increased deficit spending and larger debt burdens.  Despite that, entitlement programs are being expanded and new ones proposed.  Tax cuts and credits are offered by politicians like candy.

If this trend continues, like a tsunami, eventually everybody will be able to see it coming and nobody will be able to do anything about it.

The difference is that the US government has not Nuked the Fridge yet.  We do not have a tsunami appearing on the horizon.  There is still time to prevent it and ways to make the pull-back not as painful.  But changes need to start happening soon.  Who is going to ignite and guide those changes?

As we go into the general election for this year, I am afraid that there is not a viable candidate who is even going to try.