Things are getting hectic (as if they weren't hectic before), so I better wrap this up.
Last time, I ended with, "It seems simple, but few live within their means. And those who don't, who spend more than they can afford, will end up in serious trouble. That applies to individuals, families, school organizations, churches, corporations, even countries." The bottom line is that we must not spend more than we make.
Last time, I gave examples of what it might take to live within our means as individuals. Now, we need to take this basic principle and apply it everywhere. I won't give specific examples this time, but we can use our brains. And since most of us have elections on the brain, let's take a short look at our government.
We hear about budget deficits. What does that mean? Some people seem to talk about it like it is a necessity of life, something that we just have to deal with. Some people brush it off with, "It's only X million dollars." They're nuts because what it really means is that the budget is MESSED UP! In plain terms, it means the government is spending more than it makes.
Like individuals, the government needs to make some tough choices:
- Is it going to continue its downward spiral into debt hell? Sixteen trillion is a HUGE number.
- Is it going to take more money from its citizens? Are we all ready to be taxed more? The government already requires more than three times the money God requires from us. And those who want to tax someone else are nothing but thieves who hide in the voting booth. If you want to raise taxes, make sure you raise it for yourself first - the IRS will take voluntary donations. Check out http://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/cbofiles/new/budgetinfographic.png from the Congressional Budget Office and you'll see that to cover the budget deficit for 2011, taxes must increase by over 50%. Are you willing to pay 50% more tax?
- Is it going to decide to cut spending by cutting some of its unnecessary habits? Will the government stop paying people to NOT farm? Will the government stop giving subsidies to multimillion dollar corporations? Will they stop giving aid to people who want to blow us up? Like the flight attendant says, help yourself before you help anyone else.
- Is it going to cut down on "needed" services? Will the government stop giving people more money through food stamps than I spend for food? (According to http://foodstampguide.org/maximum-food-stamp-allotment-levels/, a household of 4 can get a monthly food stamp allotment of $668. That's a lot more than my family of four spends a month on food, and that includes buying in quantities that will last more than a month!) Will the government stop giving people money who use it to buy illegal drugs?
But the bottom line is this: Are we, the people, going to hold our elected officials to the same standard that we must live by? Only fools think that they can keep spending more than they make and survive for long. But that is what our elected officials have been doing for a long time.
Are you ready to elect a new kind of leader? Are you ready to be led by people who know basic arithmetic? Are you ready to give up on the idea that fools can run a government properly? As a wise man once asked, "Who's the more foolish? The fool, or the fool who follows him?"
Are you ready for something different? I am.
The End.
Last time, I ended with, "It seems simple, but few live within their means. And those who don't, who spend more than they can afford, will end up in serious trouble. That applies to individuals, families, school organizations, churches, corporations, even countries." The bottom line is that we must not spend more than we make.
Last time, I gave examples of what it might take to live within our means as individuals. Now, we need to take this basic principle and apply it everywhere. I won't give specific examples this time, but we can use our brains. And since most of us have elections on the brain, let's take a short look at our government.
We hear about budget deficits. What does that mean? Some people seem to talk about it like it is a necessity of life, something that we just have to deal with. Some people brush it off with, "It's only X million dollars." They're nuts because what it really means is that the budget is MESSED UP! In plain terms, it means the government is spending more than it makes.
Like individuals, the government needs to make some tough choices:
- Is it going to continue its downward spiral into debt hell? Sixteen trillion is a HUGE number.
- Is it going to take more money from its citizens? Are we all ready to be taxed more? The government already requires more than three times the money God requires from us. And those who want to tax someone else are nothing but thieves who hide in the voting booth. If you want to raise taxes, make sure you raise it for yourself first - the IRS will take voluntary donations. Check out http://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/cbofiles/new/budgetinfographic.png from the Congressional Budget Office and you'll see that to cover the budget deficit for 2011, taxes must increase by over 50%. Are you willing to pay 50% more tax?
- Is it going to decide to cut spending by cutting some of its unnecessary habits? Will the government stop paying people to NOT farm? Will the government stop giving subsidies to multimillion dollar corporations? Will they stop giving aid to people who want to blow us up? Like the flight attendant says, help yourself before you help anyone else.
- Is it going to cut down on "needed" services? Will the government stop giving people more money through food stamps than I spend for food? (According to http://foodstampguide.org/maximum-food-stamp-allotment-levels/, a household of 4 can get a monthly food stamp allotment of $668. That's a lot more than my family of four spends a month on food, and that includes buying in quantities that will last more than a month!) Will the government stop giving people money who use it to buy illegal drugs?
But the bottom line is this: Are we, the people, going to hold our elected officials to the same standard that we must live by? Only fools think that they can keep spending more than they make and survive for long. But that is what our elected officials have been doing for a long time.
Are you ready to elect a new kind of leader? Are you ready to be led by people who know basic arithmetic? Are you ready to give up on the idea that fools can run a government properly? As a wise man once asked, "Who's the more foolish? The fool, or the fool who follows him?"
Are you ready for something different? I am.
The End.