Our federal government has a problem; they are infatuated with themselves and feel they can't do any wrong. Worse, they feel entitled. We are know only a few days away from more spending cuts taking effect in our federal government, supposedly across the board, yet I don't hear of any politicians taking cuts to their pay or their benefits. They are cutting everything else; the military (which should be), and all other government jobs except where it concerns themselves. Yet despite these cuts, government spending is still on the increase, which in my mind, does not make any sense. Despite the fact that politicians aren't cutting anything in regards to themselves, they are also not making cuts to the big three vacuums of government money; Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. There has been partisan bickering over what to cut, decisions to be made that haven't, and the people of the United States are left to deal with the repercussions, all while the politicians in Washington keep on living the same, getting their pay, their lifetime pension after serving only one term, and their health care benefits. Where does this leave the rest of us? I'm sure for a lot of us, it leaves us wondering if our politicians are actually in touch with reality and willing to take steps to make changes that are unpopular, even if for the better in the long run. So how can we fix this problem? There are numerous ways, but one of the first ones is to look at the jobs that the politicians hold in Washington. An elected official is supposed to be a public servant, one who takes the job for the good of his fellow citizens because he/she knows that they can make a difference and actually wants to, not a highly paid worker who vies for the job because of the pension and benefits associated with it. Perhaps we should start the cuts where they need to be started, with the pay and benefits of those in office. They should show us that they are actually willing to make a sacrifice and not just tell the rest of us that we need to make a sacrifice when they can keep on living the good life. A politician was never meant to be a life long position held, but rather a temporary one after which they went back to work in the private sector. So much for the ideals of our founding fathers.
Lets move on though, because I have thoughts and they need to be let out. I have talked about this before and lo and behold, I will bring them up again despite the fact that some of my friends would completely disagree with me. We need to make cuts, or at least immense modifications to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. They consume more and more money every year with no benefit to our economy and decreasing benefit to its recipients. In fact, spending on those areas is due to increase with Obamacare taking full effect next year. Those three programs, as they are currently structured, are not sustainable and if not taken care of within the near future, will eventually lead to our economic demise. With people living longer, collecting Social Security for longer, and relying on Medicare for longer, it is no surprise that it will bankrupt our society if we keep on funding it the way it is currently structured. Yet no one wants to tackle these issues in a meaningful manner or even admit to the fact that they are broken systems that will eventually be the root of our demise. So much for forward thinking. There comes a point in a politicians life when they must weigh the needs and desires of their constituents with the needs of the country as a whole and if the needs of a country as a whole trump those of the constituents, then they need to be able to make the tough decision and look to the future instead of focusing on getting re-elected. Yet none of them do that. Their whole concern is with getting re-elected and pleasing their constituents even if it means bankrupting the country down the road. Yet even more can be done to cut spending that we are not addressing. This comes with the military. While military spending is already being cut, we need to make bigger cuts in that area as they are perhaps the next largest recipient of funds from our federal budget after the big three. There is no need for the size military that we have and we need to make large moves to reduce its size. There are no world wars going on, there are no direct threats of invasion from other countries, there are no world issues that "need" our attention. For all our promotion of democracy throughout the world, other countries have to desire democracy in order for it to work, it can't be forced on a people. All foreign aid should be greatly reduced and that money put towards improving the livelihood of those within our own country. While poverty and starvation are definitely worse in other areas around the world, we have our own issues that we can't resolve in terms of poverty and starvation and we are not doing enough to help those in need within our own borders. Its time to focus inwards instead of outwards.
Lets look at this one more way. Government is run by special interests. While there are cuts being made, larger cuts are being made to programs that have large special interest groups lobbying against them. Is it fair? Absolutely not. But unless we change the culture in Washington, then nothing will change. Large corporations and industries with billions of extra dollars to spend will have their areas supported while others flounder. There are no areas of government that can't be bought out for the right sum of money. As sad as that is, it is true. While it is a good thing that the government is shrinking in size due to the cuts being made, the fact that spending is still increasing is troubling. Cuts are being made in every arena; local, state, and federal. Yet with cutting going on and spending increasing, there is no other way to fund programs than to increase taxes or fees. They can call it what they want, but we can all be sure of paying higher taxes and larger fees to fund the inevitable programs that will be our detriment. I for one would gladly forgo receiving Social Security if it meant that our economy wouldn't be bankrupt in 30 years. Would I be singing a different tune if I needed those services? Probably, but perhaps that is where they programs need to be directed towards, those that actually need it versus those that both want and need it. While the percentage of people who have valid retirement plans that can fund their health insurance and life through retirement is much smaller than those that don't have one, perhaps those people should be not be eligible to receive Social Security and other benefits. That would save a lot of money right there. All these ideas mean nothing unless action is taken towards changing them. Unfortunately, I don't see that happening any time soon. Instead, we the people of the United States will get led along like sheep to the slaughter all the while being told we are going to a better place. Yeah right! OK, I'm done ranting, any thoughts on the matter out there?
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