“Debt is the slavery of the free.”

Publius Syrus declared, “Debt is the slavery of the free.”

Earlier I mentioned the ancient Athenian Ephebic Oath which every 18-year old had to swear in front of the assembly in order to become Athenian citizens. In that oath, young men, swore: “My native land I will not leave a diminished heritage but greater and better that when I received it.” Modern Greek and American political leaders should consider taking this oath. It was a civil and a military oath to defend the “altars and hearths, single-handed or supported by many.”

As Greek political leaders wrestle with the catastrophic economic mistakes of their recent past, and as American political leaders struggle with the our burgeoning deadening debt, we hope that our leaders will take the words of the Athenian Oath to heart and make the tough choices to leave our nation in better economic shape than we found it.

“To preserve their independence, we must not let our rules load us with perpetual debt. We must make our election between economy and liberty, or profusion and servitude.” Tom Jefferson.