Past the turning point

I'm afraid the United States has gone past a major turning point. This country now is going down a liberal-socialist path and there is no turning back. A number of signals clearly indicate that logic and reason have lost out to self-centeredness. It is a sad state to witness.

It is very easy to see how this happens. So many people feel they are entitled to government support while at the same time they are ignorant of the long term effects of liberalism. The sad thing is both conservatives and liberals fundamentally want the same thing but the means to that end can only be achieved with a conservative approach. Liberals think they are doing the right thing, but they are simply wrong.

What really gives me pain is our federal and state conservatives are also acting like liberals. At this moment in time President Obama, the Senate, and the House are all squabbling over raising taxes and cutting spending to help bring the federal debt under control. But currently the federal government is spending over $1T more than it takes in each year. In ten years that would mean, in a very simple view, that the country will owe $10T more than it does now. All of the squabbling is about raising about $1T in taxes over 10 years, and cutting at best an additional $1T in spending. The country is ever so hopeful that the measure passed in the Senate and House as 2013 begins will help move us along that path. But that will leave us $8T more in debt in 10 years. This is not fixing the debt problem, and both the Republicans and Democrats are involved with this fiasco. Most of the public isn't really paying attention except for how it helps or hurts them individually. Sadly very few are concerned about the long term impacts of these decisions and the decisions of the past few decades that put us in this position.

It really grieves me to observe some of the things that are going on. The majority of the citizens in this country voted Obama into a second term. The majority is now largely filled with those who can benefit from Obamacare, zero taxes for 47% of the country, minimum wage values way too high, multi-year unemployment checks, welfare, and government jobs that pay way too much, and offer seriously out-of-line benefits including budget busting pensions. It's no wonder they want to vote for liberal policies.

No one is confused that there are people who need help. The problem can be illustrated this way. I personally know several people who have declined job offers because the salary was lower than unemployment benefits. Most of the time when I hear about things like this it is from reading about it in the news. But when I personally know several people in this situation it seems to me this is a huge problem for the country. As I project the numbers of people in the nation that are making like decisions it is easy to see the liberal policies are back-firing on us.

Taxing the rich seems an easy thing to do. "Heck they can afford it can't they? Let them pay for government over-spending so I can have my benefits and pay zero taxes. Didn't they get rich because they paid me so little and they took so much for themselves. Screw them. They don't need 10 homes, big boats, and private airplanes. All I want to do is feed my family". Sadly this is the view of way too many people in this country and I don't see it changing any time soon.

Let me throw in a little personal finances to spice things up a little. I have two incomes at my age of 66. One is Social Security and the other is a pension from working thirty-three years at the same high-tech company. My total income is about $50k when I include monthly income from holding a loan on a property that I sold and banks would not fund. I lost 1/2 my money in that mobile home in the housing downturn. But still I have $50K income - and I pay zero taxes. I will pay zero taxes for the next several years too. Excuse me but this just doesn't seem right to me.

I benefit from government services, police, fire, state local and federal programs, NASA, military protection, national highways, and lots more. Why shouldn't I pay taxes? If everyone paid some taxes they would pay a lot more attention to federal spending and the federal debt.

Why is it that a small rich segment of the population should pay my taxes for me? Sure some of them inherited their money but a great percentage of them started and run companies that I benefited from. I never felt for a moment that the senior officers of the company that I worked for most of my life were paid too much or me too little. They took all the risks, made serious decisions, worked their way to the top, and were providing a stable high-tech company for me to work in. Let them pay their share but why should they pay mine.

If we had a flat tax (and I'm not sure of all of the ramifications of that kind of a tax system) and everyone paid something like 5% then someone like me with $50K of income would pay $2,500 in taxes. I'd have to live on $47,500 which isn't bad. Someone making a $1M would pay $50K. That seems fair.

What isn't fair, no matter how they collect the taxes, is when our government spends more than they take in.

But if so many have to pay zero taxes, and depend on the government for their food and health care why shouldn't they vote for more of the same. I'm afraid we've passed the tipping point and the citizens of this country will continue to vote for people, processes, and pork that will benefit themselves from now on until the country collapses. That day isn't too many years away.

The federal debt will finally reach such a level that our credit rating will drop (oh yea that already happened didn't it), then other countries will not want to loan us money at low rates so we will have to raise the interest on federal treasuries which will in turn lead to inflation which will increase the cost of goods and increase salaries. We already have huge monthly trade defects and the inflation will increase the cost of our goods so other countries will buy less from us. The value of the dollar will drop so it will cost more to buy those products we import and our dollars will leave the country faster than they do today.

We're doomed. Wake up citizens of this country. We must cut federal spending, lower corporate taxes, re-invigorate manufacturing, and pay down our debt. Social Security benefits will have to be reduced over time as will Medicare. Obamacare adds yet a third sink hole to the Social Security and Medicare drain on the system. Something must be done to curb or kill Obamacare.

Do we need Social Security, Medicare, and more accessible health care for those in need. Of course we do, but not they way these programs are implemented. They are too liberal and must be cut back. Sadly I just don't see that happening until it is too late to save the country.