Tuesday Pearl River Community College students got a good idea of just how much debt our government is racking up.
For the most part, debt is a part of life. Unless you’ve got millions in the bank, you can’t make a major purchase without going into debt.
So, what do most Americans do when they see that they are spending more than is coming in? The smart ones stop spending so much. The others, well, they may pull out a credit card and exacerbate the problem.
Our government is currently pulling out the credit card too often. According to www.usdebtclock.org, our country’s largest budget items are Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare, defense (military), federal pensions, income security and the interest on the debt.
That leads to the big question, which ones do we cut out? Since I’m only partially aware of everything the government spends our hard earned tax dollars on, I can only focus on these big ticket items.
We need the military; our country would be vulnerable without it. We need Social Security; retirees have earned their golden years. And we need to provide medical care to those who require it.
That leaves the federal pensions. Certainly those who have worked until retirement deserve to have their pensions, but do they deserve that much?
Consider these additional thoughts.
Do we need career politicians or could we set term limits on every elected office in the entire country and thereby pay them less?
And, is everyone in the country kicking in their fair share or can we cut out the loopholes the rich use to make the most of tax breaks?
What it boils down to is, the government is supposed to be looking out for us. Putting our nation further in debt without implementing a plan to get us out is the wrong path to that end.