If Americans were asked what is our country's greatest threat, an overwhelming majority would most likely say terrorism. Although terrorism certainly is a great threat, it is not our greatest threat. The terrorists may be able to commit horrific acts that cause death and destruction, but are they able to do anything which would result in the collapse of our government? Only a threat that could result with the end of democracy is our greatest one. Some will say that the terrorists could commit an act which would set in motion a chain of events that could lead to collapse, but I would strongly disagree. Any act that the terrorists commit will only pull our nation together. I am confident that there is nothing the terrorists could do, which couldn't be overcome by a united America. The threat of terrorism is real and should be taken very seriously, but we shouldn't let it distract us from a greater threat.

To take it a step further, I don't believe there is any external threat that couldn't be overcome by a united America. The fact that it was brought on by something outside our country would only unite us and make us stronger. But what about an internal threat, something we bring upon ourselves? Would we be able to come together? There would be no one to be angry at except ourselves. I don't think a problem for which we are responsible is going to have near the uniting effect as one brought on by some outside force. This, by itself, makes this internal problem our greatest threat. Without a united America, it is unlikely we could overcome anything.

The threat I speak of is financial collapse, which would most likely result in the fall of our democracy. With 50 trillion dollars in future financial obligations and no plan to deal with them, it is only a matter of time. At some point we are not going to be able to borrow anymore money or afford to pay for the financial obligations. At this point there will have to be either a drastic cut in services or a major increase in taxes. What would become of the people who depend on these programs? Crime would rise and there would be no money in the budget to deal with it. We would become a country that lets the hungry starve and the sick die. I can see no other result from a drastic cut in services other than one of unimaginable civil unrest. A major increase in taxes would also have an ugly result. If the tax burden didn't cause our economy to crumble, the anger of the people would eventually lead to civil unrest. The greatest threat from this financial crisis is that it would leave us divided, and you know the old saying, united we stand, divided we fall.

There is a bright spot in that the threat isn't imminent. The point at which we go broke may be 20, 30, or 40 years away. There are many Americans who won't be around to witness it, but is this what we want to leave our children and grandchildren? We the people have it in our power to ensure that this problem gets resolved. Like terrorism, the threat of financial collapse is real and should be taken very seriously. The horrible fiscal policy of our government, the one we have accepted, has the ability to lead to the financial collapse that could result in the fall of our democracy. It is our greatest threat.