We are in the early stages of a financial crisis, which if unaddressed for much longer, will result in a financial disaster for the United States of America with its longer living men and women.

The cause is well known. It is the magnitude of the entitlements in the current laws for Medicare, Medicare Prescriptions, Medicaid, Social Security, pensions and benefits for retired military personnel, pensions and benefits for retired civil servants at the federal, state, county and local level. Almost all of these are seriously under funded for our people in the decades ahead.

Add to this our almost annual federal deficit spending and growing national debt now largely funded by foreign individuals and governments.

All of our citizens need to become well informed on this issue. Leaders from all walks of life need to speak out. Politicians must put aside partisan differences and find solutions.

The answers are well known for the entitlement programs: more means tests will be imposed, benefits will be cut, taxes will increase. Only the time, mix and mode of these three are in question.

What are we waiting for?

Leadership, courage, intelligent compassion and compromise