Congress: The voters are dumb! Monday, Sep 29 2008 

Today, I’ve been listening to attempts by members of Congress to explain the need for the $700 Billion financial bailout.

The universal response to the question posed to the politicians of why a majority (57%) of us mullet/voters are opposed to the massive bailout is because we are too dumb to understand the problem.

Despite not hearing one politician able to adequately articulate either the cause or the solution to the alleged problem, we are the ones being called dumb. That reminds me of a quote by Bishop Richard Whatley: “He who is not aware of his ignorance will only be misled by his knowledge.”

That said, the politicians may have a point. We were dumb enough to elect to office those who caused the problem.

We will continue to be considered dumb by those we entrust with our money, lives and property until we start demanding accountability from our public officials at all levels.

C.B.

I’m a sucker Saturday, Sep 27 2008 

“Significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.” Albert Einstein

Unfortunately, at this very moment, Einstein’s admonition is not being heeded in the U.S. Capitol.

Since the financial crisis being debated in Washington, D.C. began, I felt unqualified and inadequate to comment on such weighty financial matters.  However, after reviewing the proposed plans and the comments coming from those who we entrusted to make sure such an occurrence would not occur, I feel qualified and adequate to opine.

What are my credentials?

The same those in D.C. — I’m over 18 years old, a registered voter and I was born on American soil.

Additionally, unlike many in D.C., I’ve never been bankrupt and I can balance my checkbook.

The bailout

The proposed “bailout” is about covering the collective asses of those who have been “asleep at the switch.”

The politicians and bureaucrats made politically-correct, but poor policy decision for the private sector, to insure that financially-irresponsible could borrow money at the expense of all of us who have managed to live our lives responsibly.

The policy decision was a fraud perpetrated under the guise of the “American Dream” — home ownership.

Message to America

Why bother to be responsible at all.  This is America.  Don’t worry; be happy.  If you fail, the suckers who manage to live their lives responsibly will take care of you.

Under the new form of American Capitalism there is no risk because there is no such thing as failure.

Solution?

I don’t have the answer to all the problems created by our government.  Frankly, there are too many working too long on creating them.

However, I know throwing good money after bad is not a solution.

Thanks for allowing me to have my say.  I would say, thanks for letting me “put in my two cents,” but clearly this debacle is going to cost me way more than two cents.

I confess; I’m a sucker.

C.B.

A sad sight Friday, Sep 12 2008 

We, in Louisiana, supposedly live in the “greatest nation on Earth.”

Therefore, it difficult and very sad to watch the long lines of citizens in Louisiana standing in the heat to get emergency Food Stamps.

It’s not so much sad because of the heat and other inconveniences they are suffering as it is that they are in line at all.

Those in line are not the very poor, the working poor and the handicapped. Those folks automatically got their Food Stamp cards credited for extra money to help due to the damage from Hurricane Gustav.

The people I see in line are those who, prior to Gustav, were not recipients of Food Stamps. They are primarily working class people who, due to no fault of their own, aren’t able to draw their paychecks or were forced to spend their savings to evacuate. Thus, they cannot temporarily afford to take care of themselves like they did before the storm.

Some of those in line probably aren’t bothered, except for the heat. However, it must be very difficult for the proud, self-sufficient who find themselves, for the first time in their lives, putting their hands out to government.

Government at its worst

The sights I am seeing is the result of government at all levels at its worst. We working people have had to give government so much of our hard-earned dollars in the form of taxes that we are no longer financially capable of taking care of ourselves.

Our plight is not accidental. It a result of the gradual move toward Socialism that has been perpetrated upon us by our elected officials. In order to make themselves indispensable and to protect their individual power bases, the politicians have made us more and more dependent upon government.

The current sight of working class people standing in long lines asking for a hand out is a result of that plan. We find ourselves not only without hands out, but actually thanking government for putting something in our hands which the government confiscated from us.

It must be humiliating for hard-working people to find themselves begging government to give them back their own money.

Solution

There is a simple solution. Government should stop taking so much of our money and give us credit for the good sense to take care of ourselves.

Government should only do what we, as individuals, cannot do for ourselves. Also, government should only take, in the form of taxes, from the citizens what it absolutely needs to provide those services that we cannot provide ourselves.

Government in Louisiana no longer exists to serve the public. It exists for its own sake. It is the biggest spender and employer in the state.

The annual surpluses in Louisiana prove that government is taking too much of OUR money.

Just recently, we asked that the Stelly Plan tax increase be rolled-back to provide some tax relief for the middle class and others from whom the money was confiscated. Bobby Jindal said no.

When Jindal was pounded by public pressure into submission, he reluctantly agreed to the reduction, but only in two years. After more pounding, Jindal agreed to let us have the money in one year, but delayed us getting the money for two years.

Frankly, I believe that the individual working people of this state are more capable of properly managing our money than is government. Perhaps we should consider that as we see people in long lines in the hot sun waiting for government bureaucrats to give them their own money.

There’s an old saying: Give a man a fish; he will be fed for today. Teach a man to fish and you will have fed him for a lifetime.

I would paraphrase that saying to government: Let us keep our money to buy our own damn fishing poles!

C.B.

« Previous PageNext Page »