Madeline Crabb
Has Congress lost touch with reality?
By Madeline Crabb
It has been rumored that working for the federal government in Washington, D.C., changes people. Ya think? Perhaps there is something in D.C. air and water that affects one's ability to think rationally.
Like millions of other American citizens, I have been watching the Senate debate its health insurance reform legislation. Finally, We the People are getting a chance to hear lawmakers justify their actions. Unfortunately, I get to a point the blood surely must be shooting from my eyes. Only in our federal government can all rational thought be thrown out the window, while millions of Americans act like this is normal and acceptable.
I was feeling a bit guilty about writing on the topic of health insurance yet once again, but I have no choice. All the hoopla about health insurance reform goes much deeper than insurance. Why else would we "reinvent the wheel" when a little "tweaking" is all that is needed? Hmmm?
Have you noticed how casual our legislators are when talking about how much their decisions will cost the American people? They speak of spending millions, billions, and trillions of dollars like they're buying properties in a game of Monopoly. Does this bother you as much as it does me?
We are talking about Congress spending the money they have taken from hardworking American citizens. They have held a proverbial gun to our heads, forcing us to give them far too large a portion of our salaries, and then redistribute it to others in their efforts to make things more "equitable." In essence, they are confiscating our assets to give to others. Forgive me, but I thought that was unconstitutional. But then, when did the Constitution matter to our leaders?
In today's economy, a hot mess that our federal government is largely responsible for, most of us have had to curtail our spending. Even responsible citizens are suffering. And yet, our government leaders are more than willing to take additional money from taxpaying citizens so they can fund all the pie-in-the-sky programs they dream up. This current health care bill is a perfect example. While we are being told this legislation won't cost us anything, it will actually cost $2.3 trillion. And guess what? While there are only about 14 million people who actually need some assistance with health insurance, the proposed program will instead leave 24 million uninsured. What a successful plan.
The dollar figures they lightheartedly toss around mean nothing to them. Hey, what do a few zeroes matter anyway...it's not their money. Senator Max Baucus said, "We have an obligation to cut waste and control expenditures." Okay, then why don't they do it? If Congress cares so much about us, then why aren't they making concerted efforts to cut waste and expenditures?
Senator Tom Coburn (one of the good guys) says that 42 cents of every dollar the government spends is borrowed. Since all spending originates in the House of Representatives, does anyone think they are doing a good job at "controlling expenditures?" America's national debt is over $12 trillion. That averages out to about $40 thousand per citizen, or $111 thousand per taxpayer. Our unfunded liabilities are about $107 trillion. (That's $107,000,000,000,000. All those zeroes may not mean anything to our lawmakers, but they should jolt We the People out of our complacency.) The liability per citizen is over $345 thousand.
People, we are in deep, deep doo-doo. Our leaders have allowed our debt to grow to staggering levels. Their answer to the problem: Raise the debt ceiling and spend some more. What a great example to our children. What a great example to the rest of the world. Their track record and current behavior indicate they are indeed out of touch with reality. They need to get a clue: THERE IS NO MORE MONEY! Period.
If we trust these folks, do nothing to stop the craziness, and allow them to continue spending like drunken sailors on shore leave, perhaps we are the ones out of touch with reality. To anyone willing to hear....
© Madeline Crabb
December 5, 2009
It has been rumored that working for the federal government in Washington, D.C., changes people. Ya think? Perhaps there is something in D.C. air and water that affects one's ability to think rationally.
Like millions of other American citizens, I have been watching the Senate debate its health insurance reform legislation. Finally, We the People are getting a chance to hear lawmakers justify their actions. Unfortunately, I get to a point the blood surely must be shooting from my eyes. Only in our federal government can all rational thought be thrown out the window, while millions of Americans act like this is normal and acceptable.
I was feeling a bit guilty about writing on the topic of health insurance yet once again, but I have no choice. All the hoopla about health insurance reform goes much deeper than insurance. Why else would we "reinvent the wheel" when a little "tweaking" is all that is needed? Hmmm?
Have you noticed how casual our legislators are when talking about how much their decisions will cost the American people? They speak of spending millions, billions, and trillions of dollars like they're buying properties in a game of Monopoly. Does this bother you as much as it does me?
We are talking about Congress spending the money they have taken from hardworking American citizens. They have held a proverbial gun to our heads, forcing us to give them far too large a portion of our salaries, and then redistribute it to others in their efforts to make things more "equitable." In essence, they are confiscating our assets to give to others. Forgive me, but I thought that was unconstitutional. But then, when did the Constitution matter to our leaders?
In today's economy, a hot mess that our federal government is largely responsible for, most of us have had to curtail our spending. Even responsible citizens are suffering. And yet, our government leaders are more than willing to take additional money from taxpaying citizens so they can fund all the pie-in-the-sky programs they dream up. This current health care bill is a perfect example. While we are being told this legislation won't cost us anything, it will actually cost $2.3 trillion. And guess what? While there are only about 14 million people who actually need some assistance with health insurance, the proposed program will instead leave 24 million uninsured. What a successful plan.
The dollar figures they lightheartedly toss around mean nothing to them. Hey, what do a few zeroes matter anyway...it's not their money. Senator Max Baucus said, "We have an obligation to cut waste and control expenditures." Okay, then why don't they do it? If Congress cares so much about us, then why aren't they making concerted efforts to cut waste and expenditures?
Senator Tom Coburn (one of the good guys) says that 42 cents of every dollar the government spends is borrowed. Since all spending originates in the House of Representatives, does anyone think they are doing a good job at "controlling expenditures?" America's national debt is over $12 trillion. That averages out to about $40 thousand per citizen, or $111 thousand per taxpayer. Our unfunded liabilities are about $107 trillion. (That's $107,000,000,000,000. All those zeroes may not mean anything to our lawmakers, but they should jolt We the People out of our complacency.) The liability per citizen is over $345 thousand.
People, we are in deep, deep doo-doo. Our leaders have allowed our debt to grow to staggering levels. Their answer to the problem: Raise the debt ceiling and spend some more. What a great example to our children. What a great example to the rest of the world. Their track record and current behavior indicate they are indeed out of touch with reality. They need to get a clue: THERE IS NO MORE MONEY! Period.
If we trust these folks, do nothing to stop the craziness, and allow them to continue spending like drunken sailors on shore leave, perhaps we are the ones out of touch with reality. To anyone willing to hear....
© Madeline Crabb
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