219 Targets - Taking Back Our Country

It took something very significant to get me back to blogging and I would say that the so-called Health Care Reform bill qualifies as such. The creation of another entitlement program may well be the final nail in the coffin of our country.

Overly dramatic? Just consider what has been the history of other entitlement programs implemented by the federal government. Currently programs such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, etc. represent a large percent of our annual budget. Add to that the fact that we currently spend about 40% more than we bring in each year and it apparent to me that the last thing we need is to create another entitlement. The one inescapable fact is that all entitlement programs grow like a cancer. Take Social Security, for example. It was never meant to be the primary source of retirement income. When the program began in 1937 the age to qualify for full benefits was 65. This was several years older that the life expectancy at that time. So the plan was that the average American would draw little if any social security benefits. The reality is that only recently has the full benefit age been raised and is well below the life expectancy today. The end result is that the "trust fund" is full of I.O.U.'s from the federal government and the piper is about to come looking for his payment!

I think most of us have, at one time in our life, been through a period where we have spent more than we bring in. In most cases this occurred in the '90's when it seemed like every day some credit card company was sending you a new card, encouraging us to transfer the balance from an existing card to theirs with an introductory rate. Where we got into trouble is not canceling the old card. We ran it up to the max as well as the one we transferred debt to. Before you knew it had happened you had thousands of dollars in debt and the minimum payments on these cards barely covered the interest. The day of reckoning came and resulted in either bankruptcy or a significant change in lifestyle to pay that debt off. Well, our country is at that day of reckoning now. The problem is that we collectively do not know it! Our politicians, the slimy lot that they are, really only care about their own power. So they are like the indulgent parent, wanting to be friends with their children rather than take the responsibility to do the right thing. And it works! They end up getting re-elected every term, either due to voter apathy or the "what's in it for me" mentality of their constituents.

So, as the title says, we have some opportunities to send a message to Congress. I will be sharing more information about some of the key races that would make a big difference in how business is done in Washington. I will also focus on races that, while maybe not in your district, the candidates could use support to get them in. I want to make those slim buckets rue the day last week when they all jockeyed for position around Pelosi so they could get some "face time". What a bunch of maggots!