The noise surrounding the government shut down has started to turn into a dull roar. Social media is blowing up over reported 'suffering' that is happening to the poor, veterans and government employees (who I might add have been promised pay post shut down). The reasons we've heard about the shut down varies from which side of the isle you hear it from, but two subjects seem to rise to the top, the ACA (ObamaCare) and the debt. In my opinion these two are inextricably linked because ObamaCare can have a HUGE effect on the debt.
Let's look at just how much ObamaCare will cost us. Currently there are about 49 million people on Medicare/Medicaid at a cost of about $1 Trillion per year. The expected (hopeful?) outcome for ObamaCare is to have the 44 Million Americans without insurance to be covered with some form of insurance. If you factor in businesses that are dropping insurance and dropping coverage on spouses and children that number will probably climb to about 50 Million (Obama's own estimate) people and another $1 Trillion per year. For fiscal year 2014 the projected budgetary deficit is expected to be $744 Billion. The expected budget for 2014 of $3.778 Trillion compared to an expected revenue of $3.034 Trillion. We're projected to have three quarters of a trillion dollars in debt BEFORE ObamaCare. Is it starting to become any clearer to anyone? If ObamaCare goes as the Democrats expect (but it's not looking good) it stands to add another $1 Trillion dollars on top of an already bloated deficit adding budget.
Now let's look at the current debt level of $16.7 Trillion and talk about paying all that back. That is currently what the government has BORROWED and has to pay back. Kinda like a car loan but really friggin' big. The problem with all that debt, is that we're not paying it down. So we're borrowing debt to pay debt. Anyone out there know anyone that paid credit card bills with credit cards and how did that work out for them? Currently about $500 Billion a year is just to 'service' the debt. That's a nice way of saying that we're paying the interest so that the banks keeping handing over the cash. We are not paying any of the principle just the interest. Two-thirds of the debt we incur this year will be used just to 'service' the debt. That's friggin' ridiculous on any level. To appease any liberals that read this: Do you realize the good that $500 Billion would do? To put that in perspective, thats more than SIX YEARS OF FOOD STAMP FUNDING AT CURRENT LEVELS. With absolutely nothing to show for it but more debt.
This doesn't even take into account our unfunded liabilities (potential or actual debts for which no current funding is available) of $126 to $150 Trillion depending on who you asked. These are programs and political promises made but not paid. There is currently $50 Trillion in currency in the WORLD. That's every dollar, franc, ruble, euro, yen, etc. Our government has made it a habit to promise the moon and kick the can down the road when it comes to the tab. When all this comes due WE ALL WILL SUFFER. Not just the poor, the veterans or government employees, all of us. We all shoulder a portion of the blame. The only thing that this administration has said that's true is how they feel about the debt. It doesn't matter to them.
So is the government shut down because of ObamaCare or the debt? YES.
That's my two cents, spend 'em or put 'em in the dish for the next person.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Monday, October 7, 2013
A cage of your own design is still a cage.
In recent days there has been a lot of banter on social media with both 'sides' weighing in with their thoughts on who is the root cause of this mess. I've said it before and I'll say it again...we own this mess. We The People have let these criminals posing as politicians run our country into the ground. Making policy based on pure emotion and idealism. This mess is headed for the crapper and it's dragging all 300 million of us right along with it.
With the government shut down in full swing, the two sides of the isle are busy lobbing blame and conjecture. Well, at least the law makers are, Obama is off playing golf. I figured I'd jump into the blame game myself. I think the blame lies squarely on the shoulders of...wait for it...WE THE PEOPLE. Yes, I said it. We The People have let this charade go on way too long. Politics have become a monstrosity that casts a shadow over the true nature of our republic and we are to blame. Of course it was at the direction of our elected officials that we've created a subset of society that feels that without the government handout they could not survive. So they vote with their stomachs, health and what ever else the government takes care of instead of their morals or convictions. We've built a nation of people that will vote in the person most likely to fill their cup to the brim. Greed has replaced need.
Recently I tried to explain the difference between reality and fantasy to some left leaning social media friends. I used an analogy that I'd like to share with you.
What if there was this zoo, with a really charitable zookeeper that didn't really care what it cost to make sure that the animals were very comfortable. His ideals were that any animals in his care were better off than those out in the wild, fending for themselves, sometimes starving, sometimes full bellied, but forever free, because his animals never had to want for anything. The only trade off to full bellies and a relaxed life was that they'd have to spend their days in a cage, albeit a comfy cage. Now, this zookeeper made the animals in his care pretty happy, feeding them what they needed and some of what they wanted, medicine to ward off disease and keeping them in relative comfort. Because the wonderful zookeeper spared no expense to take care of the animals, the money to run the zoo soon got pretty tight. The people that oversaw the day to day expenses realized that the zookeeper, though noble in his ideals, was bad for business and decided to let him go. In comes this real prick of a zookeeper. He gives the animals just enough to survive, medicine only when they absolutely need it and comfort when it was only imperative. The animals weren't very happy with this turn of events but there was really little they could do, for the money that the good zookeeper spent was far and above what the zoo could support. When the debts came due the animals, who shared in making the debt, would now suffer now that the zoo was broke.
This is exactly what is happening now in our country. All the left leaning people think that all the nice things that government is handing out are free. That there is no bad that could come from it. They gladly offer up freedoms that they don't hold dear to cement more free stuff. Beware of men bearing gifts. They will happily build a cage of their own design in order to keep the free stuff coming. It may feel like a comfortable life, but what happens when the money runs out? What happens to all these people that are getting comfortable and then a new zookeeper comes along? The current administration only has another 3 years left, then regardless we get a new zookeeper. If it's another one bearing gifts then we're in a world of shit. As I saw on a post recently an analogy concerning the debt ceiling, "If your house was filled to the ceiling with shit, would you raise the ceiling, or get rid of the shit?"
Liberals don't see the end. They have absolutely no forward thinking. They like to be called progressive thinkers, but what are they progressing to? Here's another analogy: If the IRS told you they were going to tax any money you made over $1 Million at 90% and you had the ability to stop working when you hit that point, would you work more at 10% your normal operating cost? I'd be willing to bet you wouldn't. I'd love to sit down with the liberal mouth pieces like Rachael Maddow, Bill Maher and Chris Matthews and have their accountants in the rooms and watch them squirm when I asked them if they've ever used deductions to lower their tax burden. Or if they've used any questionable tactics to reduce their tax burden. Everyone does it. Even the pukes that the left call their champions.
The government is the first to tell you that ignorance is no excuse of the law, but they pass laws without first letting us know what they entail relying on that ignorance to pull it off. Then they go on lying about said law to make us 'feel better' about it. The full effect of the Affordable Care Act with take years to materialize, but the here and now feels pretty bad. Insurance premiums skyrocketing, part-time employees being cut and held to a 29 hour maximum work week, companies putting off expansion and hiring to stay under the 50 worker minimum and other companies kicking spouses and children off their policies all together. Still, Obama goes on TV to extol the virtues of said law, he says there is no evidence these things are taking place. Well, I'm here to say I see it first hand. I don't need a bad President / mediocre golfer telling me that it ain't happening. The majority's willful and continued ignorance on this issue is the culprit. I didn't vote for the man. I saw through his shiny persona to the snake oil salesman inside. This administration is just making the cage a little more comfortable until another zookeeper comes along.
This problem was created by us through complacency and acceptance of shiny things and baubles and it's up to us to SUFFER through the fix. Not just for the current citizens of the United States, but all of the future. I'd rather starve in freedom than grow fat in servitude.
That's my two cents, spend 'em or put 'em in the dish for the next person.
With the government shut down in full swing, the two sides of the isle are busy lobbing blame and conjecture. Well, at least the law makers are, Obama is off playing golf. I figured I'd jump into the blame game myself. I think the blame lies squarely on the shoulders of...wait for it...WE THE PEOPLE. Yes, I said it. We The People have let this charade go on way too long. Politics have become a monstrosity that casts a shadow over the true nature of our republic and we are to blame. Of course it was at the direction of our elected officials that we've created a subset of society that feels that without the government handout they could not survive. So they vote with their stomachs, health and what ever else the government takes care of instead of their morals or convictions. We've built a nation of people that will vote in the person most likely to fill their cup to the brim. Greed has replaced need.
Recently I tried to explain the difference between reality and fantasy to some left leaning social media friends. I used an analogy that I'd like to share with you.
What if there was this zoo, with a really charitable zookeeper that didn't really care what it cost to make sure that the animals were very comfortable. His ideals were that any animals in his care were better off than those out in the wild, fending for themselves, sometimes starving, sometimes full bellied, but forever free, because his animals never had to want for anything. The only trade off to full bellies and a relaxed life was that they'd have to spend their days in a cage, albeit a comfy cage. Now, this zookeeper made the animals in his care pretty happy, feeding them what they needed and some of what they wanted, medicine to ward off disease and keeping them in relative comfort. Because the wonderful zookeeper spared no expense to take care of the animals, the money to run the zoo soon got pretty tight. The people that oversaw the day to day expenses realized that the zookeeper, though noble in his ideals, was bad for business and decided to let him go. In comes this real prick of a zookeeper. He gives the animals just enough to survive, medicine only when they absolutely need it and comfort when it was only imperative. The animals weren't very happy with this turn of events but there was really little they could do, for the money that the good zookeeper spent was far and above what the zoo could support. When the debts came due the animals, who shared in making the debt, would now suffer now that the zoo was broke.
 |
| Do I look happy? |
 |
| I'd rather starve in freedom than grow fat in servitude. |
Liberals don't see the end. They have absolutely no forward thinking. They like to be called progressive thinkers, but what are they progressing to? Here's another analogy: If the IRS told you they were going to tax any money you made over $1 Million at 90% and you had the ability to stop working when you hit that point, would you work more at 10% your normal operating cost? I'd be willing to bet you wouldn't. I'd love to sit down with the liberal mouth pieces like Rachael Maddow, Bill Maher and Chris Matthews and have their accountants in the rooms and watch them squirm when I asked them if they've ever used deductions to lower their tax burden. Or if they've used any questionable tactics to reduce their tax burden. Everyone does it. Even the pukes that the left call their champions.
The government is the first to tell you that ignorance is no excuse of the law, but they pass laws without first letting us know what they entail relying on that ignorance to pull it off. Then they go on lying about said law to make us 'feel better' about it. The full effect of the Affordable Care Act with take years to materialize, but the here and now feels pretty bad. Insurance premiums skyrocketing, part-time employees being cut and held to a 29 hour maximum work week, companies putting off expansion and hiring to stay under the 50 worker minimum and other companies kicking spouses and children off their policies all together. Still, Obama goes on TV to extol the virtues of said law, he says there is no evidence these things are taking place. Well, I'm here to say I see it first hand. I don't need a bad President / mediocre golfer telling me that it ain't happening. The majority's willful and continued ignorance on this issue is the culprit. I didn't vote for the man. I saw through his shiny persona to the snake oil salesman inside. This administration is just making the cage a little more comfortable until another zookeeper comes along.
This problem was created by us through complacency and acceptance of shiny things and baubles and it's up to us to SUFFER through the fix. Not just for the current citizens of the United States, but all of the future. I'd rather starve in freedom than grow fat in servitude.
That's my two cents, spend 'em or put 'em in the dish for the next person.
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