Democrats have forgotten their principles over the deficit and the debt

Those of us who still watch old movies can compare the present situation to the 1957 classic "The Bridge on the River Kwai."

In the film, an upright British colonel who had become a prisoner of war forgets temporarily the principles he was sworn to uphold and—to show his Japanese captors the professionalism of British soldiers—puts his men to work building the best bridge possible.

In the end, he recovers his sanity and realizes he is only helping the Japanese war effort, and he helps destroy the bridge.

It isn't too late for us yet. Government spending is currently at 24.3 percent of GDP, and U.S. debt held by the public stands at 69.1 percent of GDP. This bridge needs to be stopped.

Congress should not raise the debt limit without getting spending under control. Debt limit legislation should put America on the path to driving down federal spending and borrowing, while preserving the ability to protect America without raising taxes.

Edwin J. Feulner
President, The Heritage Foundation

Quick Hits:

• The space shuttle Atlantis landed at the Kennedy Space Center early Thursday. It was the 135th and final flight of America's space fleet.
  
• Death is the leading cause of job loss at 15 federal agencies. Two such agencies did not fire or lay of a single worker last year, despite employing a total of 3,000 workers.