Bankrupt Policies

[Hayden Collins]

 

Few national issues are “clear” these days, but most people will agree that the economy is not doing well.  And for most Americans, this is a concern.  As individuals and families, as communities, and as a country, we are oriented toward working for a better future.

 

In our lifetimes, the proliferation of government programs, particularly social programs, is not new, but the implications of their cost – our national debt – now has a deadline: within two months, we must identify what can be cut to reduce the debt.  Failure to do so will not merely engage some previously-set “automatic” cuts – it will also trigger additional downgrading of our national credit because it will witness to the fact that our country is out of control.

 

No one sets out to be an alcoholic.  Usually in response to negative circumstances, the number of drinks to make things temporarily feel better increases until it threatens the individual’s ability to function and even their life.  We know the past three years of the current administration has been a binge of spending excused as bettering the negative circumstances of the “poor”, and protecting certain groups among the middle class.  This year, we have been keenly aware of our economy’s decreased vitality, yet the leaders who are sinking it are unwilling to go to rehab.

 

The biggest part of leadership in an organization this big – as big as our country – is recognizing what the problem is, and directing toward an appropriate solution, and not one that serves only some of the population.  Instead of fulfilling their charge to cut the size of the national debt, recently the dozen selected individuals have diverted their efforts into questioning the tax code.

 

Taxation is citizen support for the cost of the processes of government.  At the founding of the U.S., these processes included the administration, diplomacy and commerce, and defense of a limited federal government; the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution specified that rights not explicitly granted are reserved to the states.  In the ensuing 223 years, additional Amendments have addressed more values-based issues such as the 13th Amendment which abolished slavery and the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote.

 

Yet here at the beginning of the 21st century, our economic future is jeopardized by the U.S. government which has assumed a role well beyond the limited scope defined by the Constitution.  Subsidizing the economic status of some citizens while unevenly increasing the contribution of others is inconsistent with these founding principles.  If everyone is taxed equally – regardless of financial situation – we will have equal results.  As long as we are taxing unequally, and using wealth redistribution as basis of prosperity, we are limiting the freedoms of the people in pursuit of their own happiness, regardless of whether they are rich or poor.  Who am I to stop you from your pursuit of happiness, and who are you to stop me from my pursuit of happiness?

 

Taxing equally also requires an equal assessment of “wealth” – all of an individual’s assets.  For the “rich”, these categories can include interest from savings, appreciation of real estate, and sometimes the much-decried corporate jets.  At the other end of the scale, there are now programs in place that cover some or all of the costs of food, housing, and health care for the “poor” – for which the “rich” have to pay out of their taxes, as well as providing the same things for themselves without such benefits. In addition, the “rich” also have to pay for such programs, and every government employee and process that it takes to run the programs.  For the “rich”, this is lost income, and they have to make more to make ends meet; but to the recipients, such assets are not being counted as income.  Take this out a few years and see the government programs grow, taxpayers’ income shrink and the lines of the “poor” grow,  as the initiative to become self sufficient is removed and the self esteem of the individuals falls to the wayside in order to remain on the government payroll.  We have seen this before, in the late 1970s and the presidency of Jimmy Carter:  taxes went up, the cost of living went up, and inflation skyrocketed.  In the name of government compassion, the country took a turn into a spiral of lost leadership and bad economic policies.

 

We have seen in the past three years this same pattern of increased unemployment, food stamps, welfare, and other increases in entitlement programs trying to keep up with the needs of the poor.  We are not keeping up.  No amount of money can replace self esteem, and time is running out. 

 

The freedom to pursue happiness must be protected over the perceived entitlement to social justice.   Who would like to have their freedom removed in the name of social justice or in the name of compassion.  Be liberal in your heart and your own wallet, but not in the processes of your government. Let your government be equal – or you will lose your government to support your liberal wants that your heart and wallet cannot maintain.   It is happening in Europe and yes, it can happen here.

 

Not being able to bring consensus on big issues is a failure of leadership.  Serving only half the country is a failure in leadership – our leaders have to represent us all, not just half of us.  Our leaders must look after and represent everybody in their charge. The bigger picture now is the security of our nation’s financial structure and our morale. Our leadership is the funnel for that structure and for that morale in the right direction.  We need them to lead toward prosperity, not away from it. 

 

We need to reduce the debt, not make more excuses for the entitlements binge.  We need this for all of our citizens and for our leaders.  Never forget your duties and your responsibilities under the Constitution.  We are the people.  And as individuals and families, as communities, and as a country, we need to be working for a better future – not expecting it to be handed to some at the expense of others.

 

Be About It.