Clemmons voters could fix the national debt, now at $14,772,291,477,084 and growing, according to the National Debt Clock, more than $2 million a minute.
While reading the last sentence, the debt piled on another $250,000 or so. Oops, there’s another $250,000.
Clemmons voters last week just said no. No borrowing. No debt. No matter if the village council planned to use $6 million to improve a section of Lewisville-Clemmons Road that everybody recognizes needs some attention. Only fools borrow during a lingering recession, voters fumed.
By a whopping 81 percent to 19 percent, voters rejected the plan … and more. They tossed out three incumbents and almost defeated Mayor John Bost just for thinking the borrowing plan was an idea worth putting before the voters.  Bost had openly talked of lifting the village’s 15-cent tax cap.
Clemmons is not in financial trouble. The village has no debt. This was the first bond referendum ever proposed. There won’t be another. The message was crystal clear.
Likely, Clemmons voters’ ire wasn’t so much with its local government as with Washington and Raleigh, but it’s not so easy to get the attention of the big boys. Who doesn’t think the federal government is the largest cause of the economic mess? Mountains of federal debt have only made matters worse, but Washington is staggering drunk on debt and spinning out of control, unable to kick its borrowing habit.
Tiny Clemmons can’t do much about Washington so voters took out their frustrations on unsuspecting incumbents. Three hard working, responsible council members were tossed out. Voters elected one newcomer on the ballot and two write-in candidates.
The write-in campaigns — traditionally never given a prayer of success — started a mere five days before the election.  Two-term Mayor John Bost survived by just 120 votes. Early voting results — before the write-in campaign launched — provided most of his margin of victory.
Voter rage.
President Obama and Congress weren’t on the ballots. Had they been … Clemmons voters would have vented their anger on the real culprits of government mismanagement. There’s only a year left until the President is elected, along with Congress, Governor, General Assembly and a host of other races.
If the Clemmons results are a hint of how voters feel across the nation, the big spenders are …