Our National Debt-A Case Study in Stupidity
I don’t know…maybe, because of my age, I am turning into a grumpy old man. If you asked my wife, she would tell you that I have, indeed, become a grumpy old man. It just seems that each day I read a headline on Yahoo that just drives me over the edge! Here is article that drove me over the edge today…
U.S. carbon tax could halve deficit in 10 years: report
“WAHSINGTON, Sept 26 (Reuters Point Carbon) - Imposing a $20 per metric ton carbon tax in the U.S. could reduce the country's budget deficit by 50 percent over the next 10 years, a report by the Congressional Research Service said on Tuesday.
Such a tax would generate approximately $88 billion in 2012, rising to $144 billion by 2020, the report said, slashing U.S. debt by between 12 and 50 percent within a decade, depending on how high the deficit climbs
The U.S. budget deficit has exceeded $1 trillion annually in each fiscal year since 2009, and could rise to between $2.3 trillion and $10 trillion by 2020, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
Since deficits can lead to reduced savings, higher interest rates and higher levels of inflation, reducing them is a high-priority issue in Washington.
The concept of using a carbon tax to combat the problem has been floated in Congress this year, but it comes with many potential downsides, the report added.
For example, households would face higher energy bills because utilities forced to pay the tax would likely pass the costs onto consumers.”
Seriously?
Did any of these geniuses consider that they are simply adding additional costs to every household in America?
Here is a novel approach to our massive debt problem…quit spending money.
We have this slight-of-hand magician trick going on now about the rich paying their “fair share” …but we never get to the root of the problem…they are spending too much money! The politicians have this class warfare going on, and while we are paying attention to their trickery; they have someone else walking among the crowd stealing our wallets.
Our current financial situation is like any of us continually spending money, and continually asking our boss for a raise, rather than cutting our spending. At some point, the boss concludes that his is paying us disproportionally to what we contribute. Folks, we stopped getting our money’s worth a long time ago!
I am more than willing to pay my fair share, when we start getting smart about how we spend our money. I have a few suggestions…
1.) Increase the Presidential term from 4 years to 5, and have only one term. No more wasting time and money running for a 2nd term. No more fundraisers!
2.) Do the same for the Congress and Senate. You, the taxpayer, try going in to your current employer and telling him that you are going to start looking for another job, but that you want to look for that job while continuing to work for him. This job search will require you to be away from your current job for long periods of time, and that you are going to expense your travel costs too. Yet, isn’t that exactly what politicians do to us?
3.) Since our elected officials would only be in office a short period of time, there is no need for them to draw a pension.
4.) Each government agency must undergo a review. Make every department prove their worth, relative to their cost. Set up oversight committees of some of the best retired business people to go over everything and make recommendations on where to cut expenses…and then cut them!
5.) Call an economic summit with all major business leaders, and declare we have a 5-year state of emergency. Ask that every company maximize employment, and to bring as many manufacturing jobs back to the U.S. as possible…that the health of our nation depends on everyone forgoing their own agenda for the good of the nation. Quit this adversarial relationship with business. The government can’t hire everyone.
6.) Set up a ratio system between management and workers on pay and benefits...say for every $1,000 a company president makes, the worker must make a dollar. If the CEO wants more money, he has to be able to also raise the pay scale of the worker along with his own.
7.) Become energy independent, and use every source of energy we have. Buying goods and resources from questionable “friends” is idiotic. You wouldn’t cancel your water and ask a neighbor if you could run a garden hose from his house to yours. The risk would be too great that he would turn your water off if you had a fight. Like it or not, as of now our country needs gas, and going from $2.00 a gallon to $4.00 a gallon in just a few short years has killed our economy and put countless dollars in the hands of people who don’t like us. We need to quit being stupid!
Well, I am done ranting for today. Not that it did any good…I still feel like a grumpy old man.
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