I am 72 years old, and I am more fearful about the future of this nation and our way of life than at any time since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. Here is why:

We have a president who is either unwilling or unable to lead;

We have a Senate that has not passed a federal budget in more than two years; and

We have an electorate that seems unwilling to accept the idea of federal budget reductions necessary to guarantee the future of necessary programs such as Social Security, Medicare and other support programs for the neediest citizens.

The president is so out of touch that his budget proposals for the past two years have received exactly zero positive votes in either house of Congress. CBO projections show that his budgets never close the deficits that consume 40 percent of the entire federal budget.

The House of Representatives has passed budget bills that take an approach which would balance the federal budget within about 10 years, but Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid refuses to allow the House bill to come to the floor for discussion.

While the House budget is far from perfect, it should be a starting point for serious debate.

I only hope the electorate has the courage to elect politicians willing to sacrifice for the country. Continuing budgets relying on 40 percent deficits is a recipe for a colossal financial disaster for the entire nation.

Richard Grover, Mason Township