FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY: 399

Back in 1964 Ronald Reagan, while campaigning for Senator Barry Goldwater for President, made a speech that said the election choice was between less or more government control and expense and less or more individual freedoms. Then he went on to say that he was aghast that the national debt ceiling had been raised three times in 1964 alone, and that 107 countries were then receiving financial aid from the United States. But now look where we are. Since 1964 the debt ceiling has been raised 70 times and 210 countries are receiving financial assistance from our federal government! Reagan also said that the “bloated” federal government each day was spending $17 million more than it collected. But today the overspending is $4.6 billion each day! And, finally, Reagan said that at that time the federal Department of Agriculture had one employee for every 30 farms, where today it has one employee for every 19 farms.

But now there is some hope because Elon Musk has President-Elect Trump’s ear, and is telling him that we actually could reduce federal government spending by as much as $2 trillion per year! And if anyone could guide us to that result, Mr. Musk is probably the one. Does this really matter? Absolutely, because today our children are in true financial trouble, and our grandchildren are bankrupt due directly to the federal government’s overspending! So I believe that there is a mandate to us all to support and actively applaud every time the federal government exercises financial responsibility because, as has been written often in this column, it is our government, and if it isn’t working we have no one to blame but ourselves. Which legacy do you want to leave for your children and grandchildren?

Quote for the week: “Politics is the art of getting votes from the poor and campaign funds from the rich by promising to protect each from the other.” Oscar Ameringer