OPINION:
In the early 1920s, Germany was reeling from the devastation of World War I, but life was starting to return to normal for most German families and businesses. Only a few though understood that another devastating attack was going to hit their country. While World War I had left the country in ruins, what they faced now was a financial weapon of mass destruction that would shatter German society.
Unfortunately, Germany’s political leaders, Left and Right, were locked in fierce battles and focused on securing power rather than on warning the public and dealing with the looming catastrophe. It was politics as usual: factions arguing over their agendas while the nation drifted toward disaster. Monthly inflation crept higher, but few paid attention. At the beginning of 1920, annual inflation was 5% — alarming but manageable. But by the end of that year, it was 25%. Soon the economy would spiral into hyperinflation, hitting an incomprehensible 29,000,000% by 1923, with prices doubling every hour.
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The result was a currency collapse and life for ordinary Germans turned into a surreal struggle for survival. Essentials like bread, milk, and coal became luxuries, and people hauled wheelbarrows of paper currency just to buy a loaf of bread. Savings disappeared overnight, and the middle class was forced to barter heirlooms, furniture, and clothing for food. Families who once felt secure found themselves impoverished, desperate, and hungry, sparking a social and political crisis that would soon pave the way for the Nazis.
America’s election: where all sides lost
As we reflect on our recent election, it’s clear that while one party won, both sides and the American public, have truly lost. Here’s why.
The reality of our debt crisis
America is inching towards the same tipping point Germany faced a century ago. For the past 50 years, our national debt has skyrocketed regardless of which party held power. Politicians from both sides have spent extravagantly on policies and programs that their bases approve of, but this has caused the national debt to pile up ever higher. Today, interest on our national debt has become our highest government expense — a dangerous tipping point that should alarm every American.
The deceptive rhetoric of Left and Right
But where is the bipartisan committee to work on this problem that dwarfs all others? That committee is missing in action, but we do have politicians talking about walls, wealth redistribution, and cultural grievances, keeping us distracted while the termite of inflation eats away at the foundation of our economy.
The Right insists on low taxes and high defense spending. The Left campaigns for taxes on billionaires, more wealth redistribution, and expanded social programs. Both sides claim their agenda will “fix” America’s problems, but they ignore the hard truth that deeply entrenched special interests and our spending habits require massive cuts across the board — meaning no sacred cows.
But politicians refuse to confront this crisis head-on because it would most likely be the end of their political career. Acknowledging the problem would expose them to allowing the problem to fester in silence.
The cost of political myopia
Instead, we will now witness the same post-election routine we see every four years. The winning administration will roll out policies and initiatives, each designed to fulfill campaign promises (or not). But the core trajectory remains the same: More spending, more debt, and ever closer to the tipping point we come.
Facing the enemy
The saddest thing is that we, the voters, allow it. As long as our party’s preferred programs feel safe and assume all is well with the world. But history shows us that most campaign promises end up having little effect. Ambitious campaign pledges of reform either fail to materialize or are reversed by the next administration. This cycle leaves us with a fractured, bloated system that, despite our political fervor every four years, has failed us.
The real enemy isn’t across the aisle — he/she can be found in your bathroom mirror.
Our collective refusal to demand accountability for runaway debt has enabled this crisis. We buy into the notion that the “other side” is the root of all problems, believing that our side’s victory will fix everything. This division lets politicians keep us distracted while they burn through our country’s financial future.
Like the Germans of Weimar, we sit watching inflation creep upward, slightly alarmed but numbed by the noise of partisan politics. But history warns us that debt-fueled financial crises don’t end well.
Sacred cows must be sacrificed
The painful truth is that we cannot tax or cut our way out of this crisis through half-measures. Drastic reductions across all sectors — defense, entitlements, and social programs — are essential to stave off financial disaster. But no politician will make the call if we, the public, keep demanding “more.”
If we hope to avoid the fate of Weimar Germany and countless other nations destroyed by hyperinflation, we must realize that our political system thrives on our ignorance. Politicians are often more interested in securing power than confronting hard truths. Without a change in public perspective, we will continue our steady march toward financial reckoning.
Time to wake up
As this election season fades, we find ourselves on the same slippery slope and heading downhill. While one side “won” and the other “lost,” the reality is that both parties are steering us towards disaster. If we want a different outcome, we must break the cycle. Real victory doesn’t lie in defeating the other side; it lies in uniting to confront our shared financial crisis.
Just like Germany of the 1920s, we are edging ever closer to catastrophe. We still have time to course-correct, but only if we confront the enemy within — our own complacency and failure to give our own party new marching orders.
To demand meaningful and painful change before it’s too late.
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Jeff King has served as International Christian Concern (ICC) (persecution.org) president since 2003 and is one of the world’s top experts on religious persecution. He has advocated for the persecuted everywhere, testifying before the U.S. Congress on religious freedom. He has been interviewed or quoted by most of today’s leading media outlets such as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post and The Washington Times. He is a three-time author and is available as a guest speaker. Jeff is also the host of Faith Under Fire, a podcast dedicated to helping Christians deepen and defend their faith. To learn more, go to the Jeff King Blog.
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