Saturday, July 23, 2011

The Government's Inability to Balance the Country's Budget

Ok everyone, I don't know about you but I am totally fed up with our elected official’s inability to balance our country's budget.  I cannot for the life of me understand what the real problem is.  This is not a time to have a Mexican Standoff.  There are way too many people whose life is directly impacted by the balancing of this budget.  I have members of my immediate family who receive Social Security and Social Security Disability and that is their only source of income.  Without those monthly checks how will they afford to live?  What other source of income will they be eligible for?  Who will be responsible for paying their bills?

I have read multiple articles and blogs surrounding this issue.  And for the life of me I cannot understand what the issue here is really.  I have read articles that state that the Republicans won't sign off on raising the debt ceiling unless the President is willing to take drastic spending cuts along with agree to not raise taxes for the wealthy and the businesses.  I have read articles and blogs that state that the President agreed to spending cuts in federal aid, war spending and increasing the eligibility age for social security but no agreement has been reached.  Which leads me to say "WHAT EXACTLY IS THE PROBLEM"?

I think that our "Government Officials" have forgotten that they actually work for us.  Our tax dollars pay their pretty generous salaries, which I might add is considerably more than a lot people will ever see in their lifetime.  And while they are debating over items like raising the eligibility age for Social Security it's a moot point for them because they will not be directly impacted by this issue.  I totally agree that the budget has to be balanced but I do not agree that it should happen at the expense of people who make up more than 80% of the population.  Let's look at this realistically.  Our unemployment rate has continued to rise since 2007.  People have lost their homes due to losing their jobs.  Companies have swindled their employees out of their 401K's.  And our government has done nothing about.  And now to add injury to insult our politicians that we elected into office are literally fighting over who has to give the most up in order for us to sign the budget.

Our government has bailed out the housing giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.  They have bailed out the major financial institutions some of whom did not need the money and just took it because it was offered to them.  All the while these same financial institutions are paying extremely high bonuses to their staff.  They bailed out the automotive industry.  They are providing aid to foreign countries that are experiencing financial issues and fighting wars.  But when it comes to the people in the country which they reside, the people that put them in their jobs, the people that they swore to represent to the fullest of their capabilities they are ready to toss them aside as if they were last week’s garbage.  I for one think that there is something really wrong with this picture.

When will the members of Congress and Senate start to treat balancing this budget as if their decision impacts billions and billions of people’s lives?  People who have struggled their whole lives and are depending upon them to do the right thing.  We are not asking for special consideration we just want what is due to us.  We want to gainfully employed.  We want to be able to support ourselves and make a decent living so we can provide for our families.  We want to know that the retirement plan (Social Security) that we have worked and paid into our whole lives is going to be available when we reach retirement age.  We want for the government to stop the frivolous spending and decrease the amount of aid that they are providing to foreign countries and re-invest it in our country.  We want to continue to be able to receive federal funding to further our education so we can obtain better paying jobs and be in a better position to provide for our families.  We want for Congress and the Senate to treat balancing the budget as if your livelihood depends upon it because 80% of the US populations does. 

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