What's 30 Trillion Between Thieves? A Madison Conservative Rant

 

The cure for the evils of democracy is more democracy!

 

H. L. Mencken, Notes on Democracy, 1926

 

 

President Ronald Reagan used to make the point that the most feared words for Americans to hear were “I’m from the government, and I’m here to help”.

 

We find that joke sadly wise beyond  its years.

 

Given how Joe Biden, the Democrats and the political left with an incomprehensible assist from gutless Republicans, have devastated the American economy in less than two years, we would add the following warning sign to the American electorate.

To wit:

Beware any and all politicians who promise, if elected, to “put money back into voters pockets.”

 

This warning is based upon the undeniable fact that the government has absolutely no money of its own. It creates no wealth.

It’s only source of cash is the electorate, and Congress feels they have immunity to confiscate as much as they wish, to do with as they see fit. All income you make is yours only after the government first takes what it wants. Our founders and framers knew the peril of greed in government.

If only the political left would read Thomas Jefferson, instead of conspiring to tear down his statue. To quote Jefferson:

 

“A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government, and this is necessary to close the circlue of our felicities.”

 

 

If we followed this guidance, what wonders we could accomplish.

 

Sadly, for the moment, a shallow opportunist is in charge.

 

The current national debt is more than THIRTY TRILLION dollars.

Look at that number for a moment.

30,000,000,000,000.

The reality is that nobody believes the number will ever decrease.

Politicians from all parts of the political spectrum are culpable for creating and feeding this monstrosity.

In 1960, the national debt was 286 billion dollars.

286,000,000,000.

A formidable sum to be sure, but it had the illusion of being manageable.

In early  1982 we cracked the trillion dollar mark. We were told with wise planning and strategic budget cuts, it was to be difficult, but in time we would make a dent in it.

In all fairness, we have, in the past, paid off the national debt.

The last time it happened was in 1835, during Andy Jackson’s presidency. It is a much nicer number to look at when discussing debt.

 

0.

So there is a precedent.

Also to be fair, Joe Biden is not solely responsible for the current 30 trillion, but he is where the buck stops.

His inept leadership and cowardice has allowed the political left to spend beyond their wildest dreams, although they want even more.

The current 40-year high inflation rate of more than 8%, year over year, can, however be traced like a laser directly to the Biden financial policies. When he entered office, the inflation rate was about 1.4%. Simply by lying, cheating and stealing, he has the nation on the brink of deep recession. What is most concerning is that the president keeps lying about reality. He claims he has lowered the budget deficit by enacting his agenda.

The debt is the sum of all budget deficits. He has done nothing. Short term funding deemed necessary during Covid is ending. THAT is why the numbers are less than the previous year. Biden has done nothing but add to the crisis, signing legislation which has added to the problem, some 6 trillion of money we do not have, and spending we did not need.

Congress has conspired to add to our problems by avoiding doing their job. All funding bills must, under the United States Constitution, begin in the House of Representatives. What they do is nothing, and then wait for the debt limit to be reached. They claim the credit of the United States is at risk if they do not pass an omnibus continuing resolution, so that social security recipients don’t starve, the military doesn’t run out of bullets, etc. Because they know it will pass, they load it up with the most useless nonsense. The process is supposed to be that individual funding bills are debated and then sent to the president. Somewhere along the line they realized they could be held accountable by the electorate if their name was attached to a bill that cut a budget line somewhere.

Why do your job when you can keep your job simply by claiming your actions were necessary to save grandma.

It is an elaborate scam, to which both political parties participate, often willingly and with gusto.

One of the many reasons President Trump was so vilified by Washington was that he said he would not sign a bloated continuing resolution, and “let’s see what happens”. We wish he would have run the bluff a bit longer.

So with a 30 trillion dollar debt growing bigger just with interest alone, how does a beleaguered taxpayer fight back?

 Simple.

Demand that elected officials do the following.

1 - Start with a zero-based budget. In other words, what does it cost just to turn the government lights on in the morning.

Cut that number by 5% to start. An easy way would be to eliminate all alcohol purchases by the government. Why are we picking up our employee’s bar tab?

 

2- Tie all executive and legislative branch salaries to the national median income. We should not be paying our employees, whose work ethic would get them fired in the private sector during the onboarding, more than the average.

 

3- Force Congress to pass a law making omnibus budgets unlawful. They are paid to do a job. Demand they do it.

 

4 – Put into law that 5% of every budget be allocated to a true bringing down the national debt. If Congress behaves themselves, a child born today will graduate college with a zero national debt. They could party like it was 1835 all over again.

 

We believe that the only way to even begin to address the crippling debt is for the electorate to be engaged in the process.

If you find merit in these ideas, at least as a starting point, seek out a candidate who shares your views and beliefs, make sure you walk proudly into the voting booth and let your vote speak for your demand for fiscal responsibility.

As an aside, 30 trillion divided by roughly a population of 350 million equates to about $85, 714 of debt for every man woman and child.

At least today.