The Government - You've got to be kidding!

Normally, I wouldn’t use this space for worthless drivel (oh sure, you laugh.), but, on rare occasions, I am want to wander into dangerous ground, taking up your valuable time by babbling about subjects such as one equal to the weather - politics. Just as Mark Twain stated about the weather, "Everyone complains about the weather, but no one does anything about it!", I too have come to the same conclusion about politics. We all complain, but we really don’t change anything when we try to do something. We might as well try to alter the weather.

I want to make myself clear at the front, I’m not, in any way, criticizing the new administration. I think we have to give the new president some time to effect a change. However, when I look at congress, and the bulging, bloated bureaucracy that our government has become, I become despondent and feel like throwing my hands in the air in disgust. But, then I remember that it has been this way for a lot of years and we’re still here and we’re still plugging along. Evidence the sayings of Will Rogers:

A fool and his money are soon elected.

About all I can say for the United States Senate is that it opens with a prayer and closes with an investigation.

Alexander Hamilton started the U.S. Treasury with nothing, and that was the closest our country has ever been to being even.

An economist's guess is liable to be as good as anybody else's.

Be thankful we're not getting all the government we're paying for.

I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.

Last year we said, 'Things can't go on like this', and they didn't, they got worse.

The only difference between death and taxes is that death doesn't get worse every time Congress meets.

Things in our country run in spite of government, not by aid of it.

This country has come to feel the same when Congress is in session as when the baby gets hold of a hammer.

Will Rogers certainly had the government figured out. But, the point is, it stunk then, and it stinks now, yet, somehow, we manage.

As an example, the bailout and stimulus package. Assuming that we have about 130 million taxpayers in this country, which is the number of those filing, and that the bailout at 750 billion dollars, give or take a few billion and the 500 or so billion of the stimulus package, equaling over a trillion dollars, would, if distributed to each tax filer, amount to about $7,500 per person. If that amount were given to each person, they would have two choices, either spend it or save it. Either choice would percolate back to the top stimulating the economy in the process. If we saved it, the banks would invest it or lend it back to some of us, therefore stimulating the economy. If we spent it on debt reduction, those we paid it to would have it to invest or lend, thus stimulating the economy. If we just went out and spent it, we’d stimulate the economy. Why do the powers to be think that giving it to the top will stimulate the economy and benefit us? It will only stimulate the top - the same fools who put us in this mess in the first place. Why give it to them? Percolating to the top benefits everyone, trickling down won’t work and will only benefit the fat cats who only trickle into their own pockets!

Anyway, sorry about the rant. It must be the weather. Can’t somebody do something about it?