TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Hernando Today

Who Will Stick Their Hands In Our Pockets Next?

ADVERTISEMENT

By DONALD J. MYERS, A Mind of My Own

Hernando Today

Published: December 6, 2008

We all recall the old saying that when you are in a hole the first thing to do is stop digging. I believe the same should apply for spending.
When you do not have any money, stop spending. In fact, when it is obvious that you will become short of cash, stop spending early. I heard on the news Tuesday that the cost of the bailout for the states was currently $30 billion, and by the end of the fiscal year in June it will be $60 billion and then grow to $180 billion. I may not be a financial wizard, but has anyone in charge in these states thought about cutting spending?
We are told that the states need money for the infrastructure such as roads and bridges. I travel frequently and must admit that I have seen no deterioration of the roads or bridges. In fact they are super except for some cities. Washington, D.C., is a good example, and its roads have been horrible for decades and throughout that time it has been led by liberals from the left. The same is true for Baltimore, Md., and probably most of our large cities.
President-elect Barack Obama spoke to the governors of the states on Tuesday and assured them that his administration will assist those states that need help with their finances. Most governors are probably directing their financial departments to draft a paper outlining their needs for this "free" money. Obama went on to say that his program would create or save two and one half million jobs. How does one go about proving that 2.5 million jobs were saved?
Since when is the government the savior for everything? What does the government really do well? I went to the post office the other day and it was like the "Keystone Kops." The line grew longer with each passing moment. There were three clerks, but two of the machines were down and the clerks were trying to fix them. My turn finally came and I conducted my business and left. The line continued to grow. If this were a private business, it would not last long.
During my lifetime, I have witnessed many huge organizations go belly up because of innovation or incompetence. What replaced them was usually much better and, in many cases, cheaper. Does anyone think that Congress can do a better job of running the auto industry, because that is what will happen when the money is provided? Congress will demand that the auto industry produce more cars that we will not buy and the inevitable bankruptcies will be delayed for a couple of years while the auto industry loses more of its business to American produced Japanese, Korean and German cars.
In Florida, the governor proposed a moratorium on foreclosures until next year. That sounds great, but what about the people who are owed this money. What are they to do? Do they not have obligations to pay with the money that is owed to them? Each time that governments enact something to fix a problem, it normally creates at least one additional problem while not solving the original problem.
The media and politicians continue to encourage a panic mode in order to grow the government. We are told that a depression is just around the corner unless government acts now. The number of people who were actually living during the Great Depression grows smaller each day. Talk to one of them about what a depression was really like with thousands of banks closing, true soup lines, 25 percent unemployment and many other unsavory things.
We are in a downturn and, like other times, we will persevere, but allow the system to correct itself. We have already created untold debt for our children, and now we are working on our grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Donald J. Myers, a retired colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps, is a regular columnist for Hernando Today. He lives in Spring Hill and can be contacted at dmyersusmc@aol.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT