Defined…

Subsidize…

… support, finance, maintain, back, fund, sponsor, PAY THE BILL, FOOT THE BILL, pick up the tab; aid, assist, stake, sink into, INVEST; slang – bankroll.

Yep, a quick trip to old dictionary and it is clear that this all-too-often used word has a variety of meanings. The trouble is that each of them does nothing to promote fiscal balance in America.

For all the political speak about cutting the budget, nobody brings up a prime target: subsidies. In the real world, if a business cannot survive it fails. Hmmmm….. Has the government heard this? Evidently not.

The market has the uncanny ability to right itself no matter the jeopardy. If nature had the same attitude as the federal government, it would be a dicey proposition. The delicate balance that rules nature should illustrate a lesson to anyone in the business community. Survival of the fittest does rule.

How many times have you sat among your friends and heard this statement? “If I ran my business like the government, I would have been bankrupt years ago.” Well, folks, eventually reality comes to the fore. The federal government, for all intents and purposes, is bankrupt. With a debt that climbs every minute of every day and no end in sight, our government yokes our grandchildren with a debt that will weigh them down. Any dreams of a stable lifestyle and financial security will be just that: dreams.

As the Congress moves to discuss cutting the budget, consider the wise comment of Indiana Governor Mitchell Daniels: “You’d be surprised how many government programs you’d never miss.” Ah, a breath of fresh air.

It won’t be easy to pull the pork hogs away from the trough. They’ve been at it much too long. Like it or not, it’s time they went on a crash diet.

Once upon a time researchers awarded a Golden Fleece Award for the most inane government expenditures and programs, including sponsored studies at colleges and universities. It’s high time that we instituted a similar assessment for unneeded and ridiculous government programs overall. Many hide in the recesses like tumors.

What we need is an MRI (Measured Relentless Investigation). Like tumors, they eat away at the body of the nation and, if left alone, will destroy it.

Nothing is more lucrative than a government contract, but that’s another story…. Get on the phone, boot up that computer, take up that pen. (People still write, don’t they?) Write to your representatives and don’t just request — demand — fiscal responsibility.

It’s not their money. It’s yours. Think about it.

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