Treading on Ice

One evening last winter I got out of my car. In a parking lot of a fast food restaurant. Put my foot on the pavement and heaved my body out as usual. This time, though, my foot slipped out from under me and I landed on one knee and a twisted position. Only way to right myself was put the other knee on the pavement, too. Then I leveraged my arms on the seat and door. Slowly, I was able to stand up hanging on for dear life to the car.

My passengers saw me in the car, then nowhere! Dropped out of sight, so to speak.

Well, that’s life in the fast lane of 75. It is also a lesson on treading on ice. There is no good footing.

And I feel our country is doing that at this very moment.

Problems are hailed as failures. Solutions are absent everywhere. No one is speaking of their ideas and means to improve on what we have. Just experimentation with social justice, social services, and play with the economy as though it cannot be broken.

But we know it can be broken. This has occurred throughout our lives. And recently too. The current economy seems hale and hardy, but it isn’t. Deep down we know this to be true. Hidden unemployment is a huge factor. No one is attending to this. Overpriced stock market is another. Bond prices skittering about, too.

Lowering taxes claiming it will stimulate the economy is only partly true; in down times, lowering taxes can stimulate the economy; in a stimulated economy, lowering taxes normally causes inflation. And that is what is happening now. The rate of inflation isn’t bad yet, but when too many people with money in their pocket chase too few goods, prices will rise and that’s inflation.

The deficit rises too. The tax cutters claimed a stimulated economy will earn more income and taxes will be paid on those dollars, covering the reduced taxes. This has not occurred. In fact, it rarely has occurred. The trickle down economy theory has proven itself wrong many times.

So what do we have now? A nation treading ice hoping inflation will remain modest, household incomes will rise from trickle down contrary to fact, and congressional leaders are telling us that ‘entitlements’ need to be reined in. Of course the entitlements are not that at all.

They are referring to Medicare and Social Security. Folks, these two programs may be run by the federal government, but they are both paid for in full by you and I, the beneficiaries of the programs. Our FICA taxes are actually premiums for these two social programs. Their cash balances are gigantic; problem is your senators and congresspeople have borrowed against those balances to pay for other government activities they approved. Now those debts are coming due and if they could kill the programs, they wouldn’t have to pay back the loans.

You know what we tell these freeloaders? "No Way Mitch McConnell and James Ryan." You cannot steal from our programs. Perhaps we should remind you who’s boss? And that you have entitlements as elected officials that we all pay for and we can take away from you?  How would you like us to do that?

Those are the ABCs of this argument. They are wrong; we are right. Time approaches for us to tell them so on November 6^th.

Surely you are voting!?

October 19, 2018