The Real Story Behind the Government Shutdown
The real story last week wasn't the government shutdown or why and how government offices finally reopened. The media's reports served only to attract millions of Americans to read or listen to the media's reports. The only result of all the time and attention you may have paid to these reports was either misunderstanding or confusion. But don't feel bad. The news serves to confuse the best of us. There's just too much information out there coming at us from so many directions, many of us simply drown in it. And the news, in the end, is nothing more than slugs of information.
The recent government shutdown simply provided fodder for the media, which gladly used it to spike the emotions of millions of American to the detriment of their thinking. You would have been wise to shut the flow off from the get-go. If you didn't, maybe you'll learn a lesson and do so in the future.
But, say you, how can we be "informed" if we don't sop up lots of bits of news. For example, how can we know what's "going on" in the world?
How about you ask yourself this: What did you learn from all the media reports of the government shut-down that you didn't already know? Didn't you already know that the federal government has spent itself silly for decades, building up a gargantuan pile of debt (the national debt), and obligations to pay for entitlements in the future (social security, Medicare to name the two biggest)? And didn't you already know that there simply can't be a limit - not now, not ever - to government over-spending when the bills come in faster and in greater quantities with each passing day?
Okay, you knew that. You knew that because you have bills and you have to pay them and if the bills spin out of control you either have to find more money somewhere or borrow money to pay the bills (i.e., you use your credit card). And you also know that your credit card has a limit (something like a spending cap).
The difference between you and the government is that the government simply raises its credit limit whenever it needs to do that so it can pay its bills.
So what about this shutdown? Why didn't they raise the limit right away as they have so many other times? The reason is that some politicians wanted to score some points with some of the people who vote for them. And when enough points were scored, they opened up the government again.
But what happens in February, when they have to address the spending cap again? Will they shut down the government again? Well, let's use our thinking caps: if they think they can score points again, they will. If not, they won't. The important point here is that in the end, the limit will be raised because so many of us receive benefits from government spending: Social Security, Medicare, welfare, etc. Oh, and let's not forget defense spending, which has a huge impact on employment in certain parts of the country.
So what did all those news items give you over and above what we just discussed here? I submit to you that they gave you nothing. You learned nothing and you wasted your time if you paid attention to them.
Oh, and just so you come away from this discussion with something you can take home with you and stick up on your mental bulletin board so you won't forget it, just remember that it's the debt, not the spending limit that's the real issue. The DEBT.
Now when February rolls around and the media tries to pump you full of "news" about whether the Congress will raise the spending limit or not, you can move on with your life and not worry about all that "information" you might be missing. You're not a sponge created to absorb information. You're not a computer designed to sort information. You're a rational being designed with a brain so that you can think for yourself. And, yes, you can think for yourself without all that news.
The recent government shutdown simply provided fodder for the media, which gladly used it to spike the emotions of millions of American to the detriment of their thinking. You would have been wise to shut the flow off from the get-go. If you didn't, maybe you'll learn a lesson and do so in the future.
But, say you, how can we be "informed" if we don't sop up lots of bits of news. For example, how can we know what's "going on" in the world?
How about you ask yourself this: What did you learn from all the media reports of the government shut-down that you didn't already know? Didn't you already know that the federal government has spent itself silly for decades, building up a gargantuan pile of debt (the national debt), and obligations to pay for entitlements in the future (social security, Medicare to name the two biggest)? And didn't you already know that there simply can't be a limit - not now, not ever - to government over-spending when the bills come in faster and in greater quantities with each passing day?
Okay, you knew that. You knew that because you have bills and you have to pay them and if the bills spin out of control you either have to find more money somewhere or borrow money to pay the bills (i.e., you use your credit card). And you also know that your credit card has a limit (something like a spending cap).
The difference between you and the government is that the government simply raises its credit limit whenever it needs to do that so it can pay its bills.
So what about this shutdown? Why didn't they raise the limit right away as they have so many other times? The reason is that some politicians wanted to score some points with some of the people who vote for them. And when enough points were scored, they opened up the government again.
But what happens in February, when they have to address the spending cap again? Will they shut down the government again? Well, let's use our thinking caps: if they think they can score points again, they will. If not, they won't. The important point here is that in the end, the limit will be raised because so many of us receive benefits from government spending: Social Security, Medicare, welfare, etc. Oh, and let's not forget defense spending, which has a huge impact on employment in certain parts of the country.
So what did all those news items give you over and above what we just discussed here? I submit to you that they gave you nothing. You learned nothing and you wasted your time if you paid attention to them.
Oh, and just so you come away from this discussion with something you can take home with you and stick up on your mental bulletin board so you won't forget it, just remember that it's the debt, not the spending limit that's the real issue. The DEBT.
Now when February rolls around and the media tries to pump you full of "news" about whether the Congress will raise the spending limit or not, you can move on with your life and not worry about all that "information" you might be missing. You're not a sponge created to absorb information. You're not a computer designed to sort information. You're a rational being designed with a brain so that you can think for yourself. And, yes, you can think for yourself without all that news.
Comments