Fiscal Responsibility

After watching the last two presidential debates, I am left with only one general thought. We have it all wrong. Society has it wrong. It has been wrong for a long time. Most people don't think or don't know that we have it wrong. The race for political office has been reduced to a sales contest. Who can offer the prettiest package of jobs and social programs, with only a dash of thoughts on other issues (ignoring foreign policy for now). We have been programmed by our environment to ask, "Hey, is the government addressing my issues? What are they doing for me and the [insert any group name here]? Puff Daddy wants to bring the youth voters to the table so that their "issues" can be addressed. I think that if hard work is still an option in this country, and I believe it is, it's the most important issue the youth need to worry about.

If anyone is wondering why there are soaring deficits, it might have something to do with all of the programs that politicians have to sell to win elections. In theory, today's "Liberals" endorse these social programs because they feel that the government is here to hold our hand through life like a rich uncle (who is played by the wealthy). Theoretical "Conservatives" on the other hand have no choice but to endorse similar programs, as they would not be able to otherwise compete in large-scale elections. When your opponent is giving away the farm, you better be ready to hand over the tractor.

Sometimes the costs of these programs are offset by economic booms and other times countered by the executive and legislative branches being split, resulting in lovely gridlock. In the past four years, we have seen the results of a non-split scenario combined with an unavoidable economic downturn and 9/11. This resulted in lots of spending without expanded revenue to pay the bill. That said, it could have been much worse if a different group was running Washington. Regardless, huge entitlements were handed out, with a big wish list already lined up for the next four years on the side of both candidates.

It's time for people to break out of this current political environment and think. The government is NOT HERE to solve all of your problems. The government IS HERE to protect us, and not necessarily from the rising cost of health care. It wouldn't be rising like it is if the government hadn't messed with healthcare in the first place. (See HIPAA) If we don't wake up and realize this sometime in the next fifty years, we are going to be walking the plank to a stifled economy, unable to compete with more economically free nations.

This is an American cultural problem. People refuse to save money these days. Things were different once upon a time. Back in the old days, people actually used to pay for a doctor visit. No, not co-pay. They actually paid a bill, which actually went to a doctor. This is a concept that most under the age of 30 could not even understand.

Please read the constitution. I beg you. Presidents are sworn to uphold it; it should be sacred for all Americans. The government is not here to hold our hand and make sure that every single person in this country has health care against his or her will. Catastrophic health care is "affordable" to almost everyone in this country, and for those that it is not, there are already programs available to fill the gap.

I love when the candidates bring up fiscal responsibility. Every one is selling it these days but nobody's buying, especially the sellers.