By Marvin Pirila - Writer of the blog
http://returntoindependence.blogspot.com.
The majority of American’s polled before the election wanted
their politicians to eliminate deficit spending and reduce the national
debt. The best duo possible, Romney and
Ryan, were right there and ready to deliver.
However, when it came time to vote, the population cast their votes to
stay the same course we have been on the last four years. As the record shows, that means increased
deficit spending and enormous additions to the national debt while entitlement
programs skyrocket in cost.
As we approach the $16.5 trillion mark in national debt, run
annual deficits in excess of $1 trillion, and have unfunded liabilities of
$121.4 trillion (Medicare, Social Security, and Prescription Drug Liability),
where is this money going to come from?
This country has to come up with $1,058,059 per taxpayer right now, as
of November 9, 2012, just to fund what these funds are already behind. With the population of baby boomers rising
and the number of disability claims being added each day, it will take much
more.
There could not have been a worse time for Obamacare. Obamacare is going to cost this country
dearly in terms of unemployment, economic growth, and tax revenues. Obamacare should be renamed ObamaScare as it
scared businesses, incentives, and jobs away from the U.S. It is undoubted the largest entitlement
program ever. In October of 2012, the average American household’s share of this
spending was $29,691, roughly two-thirds of median household income.
Our best path to economic growth, surplus revenues,
employment, and debt reduction was on the table, laid down by Romney and
Ryan. The cornerstone of job growth,
GNP growth, lower inflation, and higher tax revenues was by developing our
natural resources, coal, natural gas, and oil.
This plan went away with the re-election of President Obama. Obama is against drilling for oil, coal use,
or even piping in oil from our #1 supplier Canada. His energy plan is wind and solar, whose time simply has not come
of age yet. Obama's policies favor
higher gas prices, which would make wind, and solar technologies more
competitive. Nothing that takes
manipulation to be competitive is yet ready for the broad based market.
The only plan on the White House table now to increase
revenue is to tax the richest 1% much higher.
This will have only a negligible effect, if any noticeable difference
whatsoever. Their plan to reduce
spending is to cut the military outlays by $1 trillion. This comes at the most volatile time
internationally since World War II. The
volatility of Syria, Libya, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, and other Middle Eastern
countries makes one question the move to weaken our military. Russia remains a staunch supporter of Iran
and Syria, using its UN vetoes to kill all UN action on either of these
countries. After using its veto to kill
action to help Syria, Russia then supplied weapons and other assistance to the
Syrian government. Russia, under Putin,
is not trustworthy and routinely takes actions that undermine the U.S.
internationally.
Obama says he is going to close tax loopholes without
specifying which ones. Any fair and
objective view of this administration show no real plan to balance the budget,
reduce the deficit, and fund our unfunded liabilities. The reason there is no plan on the table is
that the real plan is too disturbing for public consumption. The real plan is to bring this country to
its knees. The only “Forward” place we
are headed is over the cliff. This
administration is working extra to outspend its revenues, outpacing every
administration since this country’s founding.
Since Medicare and Social Security was established, Congress
and the President have been raiding its coffers to pay bills it readily took on
in excess of the revenues coming in.
Debt enslaves us, and our debt has never been so large, and growing so
quickly. What this country needed was
someone to lead them into prosperity, not one who would lead them into
destitution.
Obama’s plan to tax the rich at higher and higher rates will
not help American’s financial crisis.
The biggest and most painful job as a politician is to tighten the belt
on spending, and in our status, very tight.
One reason Romney and Ryan lost the election was that their plans were
to take those painful steps to restore our economic strength. The problem now is that too many American’s
are addicted to government handouts.
Too many are worried more about what they can get rather than what is
best for their country, their kids, and the future. They voted to squander the well being of the next generation to
receive free handouts for themselves.
This short-term vision and the “me” concern has to give way to
reasonable sacrifices for the long term benefit of the country and its
citizens. The sacrifice people should
be willing to make is to get only what they need from the government to get
back on their feet again after a layoff, injury, or other setback. Our government designed itself to care for
the truly needy or temporarily in need while looking for work. The capable must work, doing whatever they
must to survive. All honest work is
honorable and even if it is not your ideal job, you should keep it until you
can find the job you want. Sitting at
home when you are fully capable of working is immoral when you are feeding off
the taxpayer’s hard work.
Romney and Ryan had a plan to cut entitlement programs Obama
does not. Obama is not going to change
course, because his course, unlike the desire of many Americans is not to cut
spending in any significant way, if at all.
Obama has not taken responsibility in four years so why should anyone
believe he suddenly would now.
Significant change will only occur when we have a leader willing to
accept responsibility for fixing our situation rather than blaming everyone
else. Many American’s give him an
endless pass because they refuse to examine the facts, instead relying on the
media in its short snippets to form their opinion for them.
The answer to our economic problems is simple but there is
no one in office with the backbone to carry it out.
- Cut all subsidies to oil and alternative energies. Allow the free market to determine their period of relevance.
- Cut all funding to the overly bureaucratic and stifling United Nations. The corrupt U.N. duplicates existing services and accomplishes nothing. A single veto ends action on any important matters. The U.S. will always share different values and beliefs than the rest of the world, and making concessions of any kind is dangerous to our way of life.
- Abandon
the notion of Global Warming, and its redistribution undertones. Cut funding to the Kyoto Protocol that
governs carbon emissions – Canada did.
Canada's Piers Corbyn, the founder of
the Weather Action Foundation, concluded, “carbon dioxide is controlled by
world temperatures rather than the other way around.” Corbyn states that solar activity, not
carbon dioxide, is behind climate change.
He again stated, “Carbon dioxide has zero effect, I repeat: zero
effect, no effect whatsoever.”
Corbyn says that solar activity, not carbon dioxide, is behind
climate change.
“I don’t believe in man-made climate change because there is no evidence for it. In fact, carbon dioxide is controlled by world temperatures rather than the other way around,” he told RT. “Climate change is going on, and the key aspects of the big, very extreme events that happened in the last 18 months were predicted by us, the Weather Action, using solar activity.
Corbyn believes the Kyoto protocol is a semi-fraudulent scheme aimed at wasting public funds, which could otherwise have a better use.
“It is a complete waste of time. It’s a waste of public money. It’s a gravy train for so-called scientists looking into things that don’t exist, and, of course, for the governments to impose taxations, and oil companies to increase oil prices on the back of increasing energy prices – which is the thing demanded by the global warming’s nonsense lobby,” he explained.
Global
temperatures rise as more sun hits the earth, particularly when it rests on water. Water covers 70% of the earth’s surface, and is a huge carbon
sink. As the oceans warm, the waters release more carbon, and the effect of this
carbon release is more warming. More cloud cover leads to less carbon
emissions, and lower temperatures. This is in stark contrast to Al Gore’s
infamous claims that carbon dioxide
is the sole cause of global warming.
- Cut all agricultural subsidies and let farmers rely on crop insurance to protect against losses.
We cannot afford any expense that is not necessary. The simple existence of government
grants/subsidies produces an imbalance in the free market. A subsidy of one commodity and not another
encourages production that is not based on supply and demand. Crops may be grown only because the
government is subsidizing it rather than because of consumer demand. If something cannot make it in the free
market on its own, it is unneeded or the price is too high.
The government should not be deciding what pet projects get
green lighted, because this encourages pandering to political supporters. Worse yet is that this pandering comes on
the backs of taxpayers, many of whom would not agree with their funding. Ethanol is a perfect example of politics at
its very worst. Corn-based ethanol was
an early attempt to cut the use of fossil fuels, but was quickly determined to
use more fuel in its production than it produced. Still, taxpayers paid tens of billions of dollars subsidizing a
losing venture that wasted food and feed stock as well. Politicians finally cut the subsidy, yet
sustain the industry by the government mandate that a certain percentage of
government vehicles use alternative fuels.
Any budget considerations have to have true accounting
involved. That means passing
legislation that requires gas and food to be included in inflation figures and
eliminates manipulation by the White House.
The U.S. has to reduce its regulations if it is going to
compete domestically and internationally.
If we cannot produce products at a competitive price, American’s will
import more and export less. There are
too many government agencies overseeing and overlapping the same
industries. This overhead hinders the
ability of companies to control their costs.
High gas prices increase the cost of nearly everything. We must achieve energy independence, coupled
with the cheap oil available from Canada.
In the process of achieving energy independence, we would create
millions of jobs, both direct and indirect, by hydro-fracking for oil/natural
gas. An improved network of pipelines
and new refineries could also lower the price of gas.
Natural Gas
Enormous reserves of natural gas should welcome a higher
number of natural gas vehicles. Natural gas costs, on average 1/3 less to fill a vehicle
and with cleaner emissions. About 98%
of the U.S. consumption is produced in the U.S. and Canada. The Energy
Information Agency (EIA) predicts that over 98% of natural gas used in the U.S.
will come from the U.S. alone by 2030.
A recent study found that the U.S. already has 118 years of natural gas
resources itself.
The 1 1/2 million miles of pipelines and distribution lines across the U.S. makes it readily available to nearly anyone.
Natural gas produces 22 to 29% less greenhouse gas emissions than diesel or gasoline-powered vehicles, respectively, and less urban pollution. Source: State Alternative Fuels Plan, California Energy Commission, Adopted December 5, 2007.
Natural Gas has Renewable Options Too!
Natural gas can be produced from any organic waste or energy crop like switch grass. Conservative estimates suggest that the U.S. could produce the equivalent of 10 billion barrels of gasoline by producing biomethane (renewable natural gas). This potential is nearly infinite when biomethane production from cellulosic energy crops is considered.
Unlike Ethanol, natural gas does not compete with food sources, and drive up its prices. Ethanol also has distribution issues that natural gas doesn't. Greater ethanol use would only create more food shortages and higher prices.
The 1 1/2 million miles of pipelines and distribution lines across the U.S. makes it readily available to nearly anyone.
Natural gas produces 22 to 29% less greenhouse gas emissions than diesel or gasoline-powered vehicles, respectively, and less urban pollution. Source: State Alternative Fuels Plan, California Energy Commission, Adopted December 5, 2007.
Natural Gas has Renewable Options Too!
Natural gas can be produced from any organic waste or energy crop like switch grass. Conservative estimates suggest that the U.S. could produce the equivalent of 10 billion barrels of gasoline by producing biomethane (renewable natural gas). This potential is nearly infinite when biomethane production from cellulosic energy crops is considered.
Unlike Ethanol, natural gas does not compete with food sources, and drive up its prices. Ethanol also has distribution issues that natural gas doesn't. Greater ethanol use would only create more food shortages and higher prices.
Infrastructure Money Reality
When the government touts infrastructure money as a stimulus
to the economy it fails to explain that its benefits directly relate to the
project undertaken. Repaving a road
with breaks with it, but still smooth, in a low traveled region will do little
to benefit citizens. On the other hand,
a more efficient mass transit system in heavier traveled regions allow citizens
to travel more cheaply, takes more vehicles off the road, and puts more money
into their pockets to buy other things.
The Sacrifices Required comes with Benefits
The answer to the debt crisis is simple, but the carry
through will take a nation of patriotic citizens willing to live without
government entitlement programs. The
sacrifice comes with its own benefits:
- Greater freedoms to create and innovate through less government interference, namely regulation and taxation
- Ability to determine our own donations, rather than allowing the government to decide who should get taxpayer money – often in exchange for expected votes
- Lower taxes due to the elimination of unneeded entitlement programs, grants, and subsidies
- Lower gas prices due to domestic production, lowering the cost of most goods
- More jobs due to the millions of direct and indirect jobs created by tapping our natural resources, including coal
- The end of entitlements leads to less lobbyists, less lobbying, and a stronger voice of the individual rather than special interest groups
- Less borrowing from foreign countries, and less interest being paid to them
- A
stronger dollar that buys more from other countries
Paying our Public Debt is an American's Responsibility
Ultimately, it is our responsibility to pay our own debts
rather to pass it along to the next generation. In our case, we need to pay for every Congress and Administration
that has raided Medicare, Social Security, and Postal Service coffers to pay
for some of their incessant spending.
Our Founding Fathers Weighed in on Debt...
“I, however, place economy among the first and most
important of republican virtues, and public debt as the greatest of the dangers
to be feared.” Thomas Jefferson
The
Founders recognized the nature of debt for what it is: evil, because it is a
form of bondage. Debt is giving another
power over your liberty. Benjamin
Franklin once wrote, “If you cannot pay that time [when the debt is due], you
will be ashamed to see your creditor; you will be in fear when you speak to
him; you will make poor pitiful sneaking excuses, and by degrees come to lose
your veracity [truthfulness], sand sink into base downright lying; for as Poor Richard says, the second vice is lying, the first is running in debt. And again, to the same purpose, lying rides upon debt’s back.”
The
Founding Fathers felt the debts of one generation should be paid for by the
generation that incurred them. The
rising generation, they felt, should be both politically, and economically free
from the burdens of the previous one.
They felt that passing debts onto the next generation would be forcing
the children of the future to be born into a certain amount of bondage or
involuntary servitude. This position
would be something for which they neither voted nor subscribed. Literally, it would mean “taxation without
representation” and a blatant violation of a fundamental republican principle.
George
Washington stated “No pecuniary [monetary] consideration is more urgent than
the regular redemption and discharge of the public debt; on none can delay be
more injurious, or an economy of time more valuable.” (Fitzpatrick, Writings of
George Washington, 33:168.)
