Strength in Americans

If you are a strong American and want to work with the truth to learn how to fix the United States, read “Working Together.”

It is time the Americans show our true strength and not run from our responsibilities.

I am strong.  I believe you are strong too.

We can fix the US.  We can.  You can.

How?  What do we need to do?

We need to not fight against one another or the United States, not to waste time striking against bad news.   

We have possibly the best country in the world…and it is up to you and to me to make changes while helping  our country to succeed.

When my son had cancer, I knew if it took all of my savings, I would spend it to get him whatever medical care he needed.  I would work as long and as hard as necessary to give him the possibility for a future.

I believe in you.  I believe you, too, will work to overcome the cancer that has hit our national economy.

Only you can make our economy work.

We might need to realize we have been too selfish and expected to own more than is possible.  Never in history have so many people thought they were entitled to extremely large homes, 2 or more new cars, expensive electronics, and a constant supply of exotic food.  Americans live today better than kings lived in history.  We have taken out mortgages that our incomes are not large enough to afford.  We need to start living on budgets, spending no more than what we make, and making our country do the same.

We can make those adjustments without losing our spirit, knowing possessions do not bring joy as family and life do.

We are strong.  We can take the truth.  We can be filled with stubborn pride in knowing we are paying back what we owe, not cowering.

While working to pay our dues, we also work to purchase American goods to support the jobs of our fellow Americans.  We do not hide our money to keep it safe, but we help our economy to thrive to overcome hard times with carefully planned spending.

We don’t always buy everything as cheaply as we can get it if we know paying a little more is helping our neighbor keep his financial head above water.

Most of all, we don’t fall into despair when politicians or the media tell us we have problems.  We say, “What can I do to overcome this?  What can we do working together to overcome this?”

Show your strength.  Start working together not as Democrats nor Republicans, but as Americans.  Tell your legislators to quit fighting and start working together to solve our problems.  Tell them you are strong and will work with them to overcome our financial mistakes of the past.

Prove that working together, we can Fix the US Now!

Working Together

Is the US working?

Let's see.

How much does the US Federal Government spend vs. how much it takes in?  170% (more on this below).
That would be like your family having an income of $50,000, but spending $85,000.  And, next year, although your income may not increase at all, your spending will, probably to $87,500.


So, those Democrats spend too much, right.  Right!
But, so do the Republicans...about the same amount as Democrats, only for different things.
The only year the government did not increase spending was in 1965, and that was during a Democratic administration.  See: The Slate.  


Why do you care?  I didn't.  I figured it was the government's debt...the politician's debt.  It wasn't until I saw the debt divided up per family that it hit me that I am a portion of this government, and a portion of their debt is my debt!  My family's portion of the national debt is over half a million dollars!  See:  The Market Oracle.


So, what is in that budget that we can cut to get it back in line?  I figured we'd be able to cut a lot of useless items and get us back on track.  After all, we all hear about pork barrels, right?  And, the Democrats keep adding all of those social projects.  They just have to go, right?  Well, it's not that easy.  Download a copy of the Federal Budget in a spreadsheet to try to balance yourself at:  Where Does The Money Go?  

What do you think is the biggest spending category?  I was surprised to find it was the military.  Yes, Social Security is actually number one, but it is funded separately, so you can't compare that with other spending.

Try the spreadsheet.  I did.  I found I have to increase taxes and cut much of everything in order to make it balance.

So, what does this mean to you?

Can you keep on borrowing $35,000 if you make $50,000 and spend $85,000?

If you elect politicians who lie to you and say they are going to add services, not cut existing services, and not add taxes, that is exactly what you are doing.

Is it the politician's fault if the public refuses to hear the truth...refuses to vote for anyone who honestly says, "Hey, the only way we can fix this is to cut deeply plus raise taxes."


The problem is that it will all catch up to us one day.  At this rate, someday we won't have anyone left who has money to lend us.  Look again at The Market Oracle to see who we owe.

Look at US spending on military vs what other countries spend at: World Military Spending.

Do we really need that much more spending on military than other countries?  Are we that much bigger?  How big are we, really?  We have about 5% of the world's population, but we spend almost half of the world's military budget.  After 911, it's easy for politicians to tell us that we have to spend more on homeland security.  But, look what we spend!  Would you pay that much and have so many troops in so many places if it was coming out your own pocket?  Well, it is!  Remember to try the balance the budget spreadsheet and see if you still think you don't need to cut military spending along with everything else.


Now, before you jump on the cutting bandwagon, remember, every single thing you cut is tied to someone's job and our entire economy.  Cutting spending will cut jobs, increase unemployment, and cause reduced spending, which will cause recession (depression if it is all cut at once).


So, this needs to happen slowly.  People need to realize that each family owes over $500,000, and most of us will say, "We just can't afford to keep doing this."


It is now up to you.  Will you vote for politicians who tell you honestly, "We have to raise taxes and cut services to get us out of this mess."  Will you stop fighting Democrats against Republicans and start working together as US citizens to Fix US Now?


For me, I'm going to say, "I have to do without healthcare."  But, that's going to have to be the subject of another story...