Have you ever wondered how a politician can go into office as a middle income American and a few years later are wealthy? Why is it that they can pad their own pockets while putting the rest of us further into debt? Could it be that they can only keep their eyes on a single budget and it’s their own?
When running for office most politicians both liberal and conservative believe that the Federal Government should act like any business or family and live within their means. Unfortunately once in office they are swayed by their party leaders to tow the party line and receive the goodies that come along with it or serve a single term in office.
Perhaps I am being a bit harsh but am I? If you are honest with yourself and consider what a rubber stamp congress has brought us during recent times you will understand. It is obvious that our politicians both local and national need to get back to budgeting the hard earned dollars of tax payers in the same way they would budget the income of their own family.
Maybe comparing the government to a family seems trite, but current events seem to justify the analogy.
A family has income supplied by the adults in the family through their own efforts–either through their employment or their entrepreneurial efforts. They can incur debt up to a certain point. And what is that point? When no creditor is willing to lend them any more money.
Up until that point, to borrow any further, they are likely to have to pay more in interest rates. Even to the point where they have to find lenders who would charge exorbitant fees and interest rates.
With the passing of Michael Jackson, the media related that he was 500 million dollars in debt. How could that be? Evidently there were those who were willing to extend credit to him and his operation on the basis of his ability to pay that debt at some point in the future. Or maybe his celebrity prompted others to extend him significant credit.
The average person or family normally wouldn’t have that much credibility to attract such beneficent creditors.
Well, the Federal Government has a similar situation to Michael Jackson. There is sufficient credibility and trust in the United States Government that others (including countries such as China) are willing to lend the money to continue operating. However, as has been the case, the government must increase the interest rate paid in order to continue to entice others to lend them the money.
At what point does a person or family realize that it can’t cover all the debt they incur? When their expenses exceed their income. At that point, perhaps after a period of hiding from the creditors, they have to declare bankruptcy or place their finances in the hands of an agent who will reduce their finance charges and allocate limited financial resources to them.
At what point does the Government realize that it can’t cover all the debt they incur? As we see, the creditors of the United States Government are willing to accept an appreciation on their investment. The Government only pays the interest on the debt because they roll over the debt every so often. As long as the government revenues cover the debt service–or interest–it is able to stay afloat.
However, there may come a time when creditors will not be willing to lend the United States Government any more money at any interest rate–same as families and individuals. It may be a ways off, but if the government continues to rack up the debt at the rate it is going, there must come a time when the Government truly will go bankrupt.
I hope you now understand how the family budget (and debt) is no different than the Federal Government debt. If you want the answer to how the politicians are able to pad their own pockets just look at the bills they support and you will understand!
~A Concerned Citizen~
Hi Seth!
This is my first post on your site after finding you on Twitter. I have to say, you are one amazing kid who would at first glance, seem to understand far beyond his years. But after seeing your analogy here, you make it quite simple to understand that government spending is like the family budget and that children are also equipped to easily see what and what not, that family’s limitations are.
I think you’ve got that all down. You already point out the pitfalls of being a spoiled, rotten rich kid that grows up being broke and miserable. So I’ll just take it a step further and go on to point out the obvious, that it doesn’t make one smarter either. It’s quite the reverse, in fact. It can make a person very dumb because they lack the baby-step experiences that come from having limitations. Limitations *are* the opportunity to setting basic goals; goals kids don’t set if the circumstances never require them to. So feeling sorry for people because life handed them a shorter stick than the other guy is probably the worst thing we can do for them. Making it up to them in the name of “fairness” will never have that person ever set a goal.
Goals require thought, effort and time to achieve. Completing them, no matter how long or hard it is, gives back much more than the goal itself. It gives us knowledge, appreciation, self-worth and confidence. Those are the graces that out-live the goal itself and enable us to achieve even higher goals we set. It is from those graces, the invisible stuff that grows from inside, that we can climb the highest mountains. No one ever starts out climbing a mountain without first learning how to walk. No one makes a good restaurant owner without first knowing how to bus dishes, waiter the table and keep an eye on the cook. Without learning the skills in life-experience, we actually rob an individual of their potential and enable that person to be only weak, grow dependent and subsequently be jealous of others in the end — totally miserable. That’s what the “Nanny-state” does and where we are unfortunately at.
The “Nanny-state” is like a bad parent who bought everything the kids wanted and never allowed them to fend for themselves. Then she ran out of money and her kids starved because they didn’t know how to make it on their own.
One more thing — You don’t have to apologize when you write, or question whether you’re being “trite” or “harsh”. An honest backbone is a wonderful thing to have. Don’t apologize for having one. Being politically correct is a trap. It’s part of the disease that deteriorates the bones. It’s the bubblegum that tastes sweet on your tongue, doesn’t last and ultimately rots your teeth.
At the rate you’re going, I’d say you have the potential of being President one day — a very good one, too! Your parents are raising one amazing young man! It’s a great, informative blog with a cool name!
P.S. – Be careful on Twitter. There’s a lot of weirdos in there. But I bet you knew that already.
Thanks Michelle your post was great. This article on comparing budgets was a guest article so I cant take the credit for it.
Seth