Wood it were…
Wood. Truly amazing. No matter how long you work with wood, you never lose your appreciation for its composition or versatility. Maybe that’s why I derive such pleasure in woodworking as a hobby. There must be hundreds of adages regarding woodworking, but the most famous is likely “measure twice, cut once”. While in this instance it refers to a pleasant pastime, it is just as germane when applied to finances.
What if someone coined the term “save twice, spend once”? My, that would be novel, wouldn’t it? And if it was put in place within Congress? Dare I forecast drama and panic?
In the past, I’ve written about what I deem “OPM” — spending’s equal to opium. Spending OTHER PEOPLE’S MONEY is too easy. What crunches the family budget fails to daunt a committee chair with an agenda. We have seen this no matter the administration or party and it must stop.
Nobody can spend indefinitely without paying the piper. In this case, the government piper doesn’t play the piccolo. The piper plays a tuba. Try holding a tuba up in a piccolo’s position and see how long you last!
The weight of public debt is no joke or turn of phrase. It will come to rest on the shoulders of children yet unborn, and they will have had no say in the matter. How would you like to work hard and pay for someone else’s bad behavior? Well, that’s what we push onto the backs of future workers.
Usually a “lame duck” Congress accomplishes very little. This year, however, the Congress and the Senate had better get busy and extend the tax cuts. Those in the know estimate that business is sitting on over $14 trillion. They aren’t investing or hiring because the future is so uncertain.
Already, health care costs are scaling up. And this, despite all the promises that the costs would decrease! It defies common sense that you can expand the pool of persons covered and not see costs skyrocket. So what else is new? Aren’t we accustomed to hollow promises by now?
Looking back over the past twenty months, we’ve witnessed a real contrast. We, the people, are the employers of those whom we elect to federal office. We expect them to serve the government and take on tasks much too large for the average person, county, city or state. We expect the federal government to protect us, secure our borders, provide safe routes of transportation and regulate economic sectors that could easily fall prey to corrupt actors. In exchange, we pledge to finance their work. If a broker performed like the federal government, nobody would invest a dime.
So far, we’ve made a bad investment if we expect real results. Perhaps, if incoming Representatives and Senators who vow to put a stop to the spending foolishness can get some traction, we will see progress.
Just like a piece of wood, if you measure once and cut and you’re wrong, you’re toast. Well, I smell the toast burning. Let’s insist that budgetary decisions be sound, based on fact and not assume facts not in evidence. You can’t base your future solely on dreams. You need the ingredients to spawn success.
Pray for America to restore her work ethic, her national pride, and her world position as defender of freedom for all peoples. Pray that someone in Washington, D.C. wakes up and lines the borders with our soldiers. If America is worth defending overseas, why isn’t she worth defending at home? I’m tired of a Swiss cheese border. I want more than that.
What about you? Are you ready to demand fiscal responsibility and a sense of resolve when it comes to really critical national security decisions? I am. Phone calls, letters and emails do count. If you don’t know how to reach your Congressman or Senator, check with any newspaper or radio/TV station. Keep in touch. If you don’t hold elected officials’ feet to the fire, you have nobody to blame but yourself. Think about it.