The Money Pit

By Tammy Derouin

The only news that is getting round the clock attention is the debt crisis. It’s too bad that our government didn’t take this issue seriously in the past. Obama has been reckless with his spending. He has racked up an incredible amount of debt. Obama isn’t the only president to use endless credit but he has certainly done his share of damage. This administration can’t blame everything on the Bush administration.

Entitlements have been draining our economy for decades. It isn’t the government’s responsibility to provide an income, housing, food, and jobs for the people of this nation. It is the responsibility of the people to provide for themselves. There will always be a percentage of the population that is unable to provide for themselves for one reason or another. This is where the generosity of the community comes into play. People are always willing to help in times of crises.

The founders had a deep desire to help those in need. They also knew that handouts weren’t the answer. They believed that it was better to offer just enough help so that those in need could help themselves. In times of emergency, helping those in need was the right thing to do. Prolonging the assistance would only make those in need dependent on the assistance. “Under no circumstances is the federal government to become involved in public welfare. The Founders felt it would corrupt the government and also the poor. No Constitutional authority exists for the federal government to participate in charity or welfare.” (From “The 5,000 Year Leap”)

Back when I was in school there was a fellow classmate whose family was living on the welfare system. I remember a conversation where she said; “I’m tired of eating steak.” I also remember the look on my mother’s face when I told her what I heard. Entitlements have a way of causing friction. There are those that don’t have to work or work very little for full benefits by way of the government. Then there are those that work very hard to support themselves and their families but fall short of what the government is handing out. This is what probably sparked the middle class families to come up with the phrase, “Tell them I said you’re welcome.” It is on the backs of those that work that support those that have less through taxation.

The finances of this country are a mess. Congress needs to learn to say no to lobbyists. They need to read what they are voting for. Every household in America needs to live within its means or suffer the consequences. I don’t think it’s asking too much of our government to do the same. Our founders knew how detrimental a debt would be to this nation.

August 2 is fast approaching. I’m sure in the end Congress will come up with some sort of compromise that combines revenue and cuts. Obviously, this nation needs to fix this problem but can you imagine an American household doing what our government is doing? Picture if you will Mr. & Mrs. Average Joe Citizen. They happen to be in debt. They are in so much debt that they don’t know how they are going to pay their bills. They get this great idea to go to their bank and ask for additional money. The bank tells them that they are already over extended and can’t even pay the bank what they owe let alone their other creditors. The banker falls under a spell, due to fast talk and fancy foot work. The couple is able to convince the banker that increasing their credit limit and cutting a few minor expenses will save them from bankruptcy. The banker gets a worthless I.O.U and the couple receives their money and a higher credit limit. They spend their money just as recklessly and they didn’t even have to show the bank a budget of how they would get their spending under control. The spending frenzy continues. In the real world the banker would have lost his job and applied for entitlements.

“The principle of spending money to be paid by posterity, under the name of funding, is but swindling futurity on a large scale.”

Thomas Jefferson

From the Soap Box

Tammy H. Derouin