The Analects blog post

Tzu-kung asked about government.  The Master said, “Give them enough food, give them enough arms, and the common people will trust in you.
           Tzu-kung said, “If one had to give up one of these three, which should one give up first?”
           “Give up arms.”
           Tzu-kung said, “If one had to give up one of the remaining two, which should one give up first?”
           “Give up food.  Death has always been with us since the beginning of time, but when there is no trust, the common people will have nothing to stand on.”

Of all the selections from The Analects, I found this one to be most relatable to modern American politics, especially after the debt crisis over the summer. Relating back to the dept crisis, I think it's fair to say that not only American citizens, but much of the world, has lost faith in congress. It proved to everybody that at this point in the game, America is having a really difficult time running itself, thereby losing the faith and trust of the average American citizen. According to Confucius, that's the absolute last thing that a government should want to lose. The first thing we should give up is our guns (and, being incredible liberal, I think that the right to bear arms by the average citizen should be taken away during times of peace. But that's a conversation for another day.) yet guns are still allowed throughout America. And after arms are taken away, the next thing to go should be food, but America has a surplus of food. So why oh why then, if we still have arms and food, did our leaders let the trust of the American people slip through their fingers. In order to get us out of this huge cluster that the government has gotten us into, they need to restore the faith of America by cooperating with one another and moving forward, instead of combating with one another over differing view points and getting us nowhere. Quoting another wise man, not Confucius: "A house divided against itself cannot stand" -Abraham Lincoln