Thursday, March 7, 2013

What would you be willing to do to make a difference?


Recently we heard the inspiring story of a 18 year old man named Jhaqueil Reagan. He was a young man that set out to walk 10 miles for a job interview for a cashier job that pays minimum wage. Along the way he stopped to ask directions from a local restaurant owner who pointed him in the right direction, later the restaurant owner spotted Mr. Reagan still walking and offered him a ride. As they traveled he learned the young man was raising his younger siblings and trying to do the right thing all on his own. The restaurant owner admired the young man and offered him a job at his restaurant, saying, “It’s been a while since I’ve met someone so young with a work ethic like that!”

Yesterday Sen. Rand Paul was given the floor of the senate and to prove a point he filibustered for nearly 13 hours, blocking the confirmation vote for the president's CIA nominee John Brennan. Sen. Paul took issue that the president's current drone policy allowing him to be judge, jury, and executioner of not only people deemed foreign terrorist but Americans as well. I watched Sen. Paul on TV for awhile, he spoke passionately, mostly without notes, and  won the hearts of conservatives as well as many liberals.

Both of these men made worldwide news for what they did, both of these men were only doing what came naturally from their heart, but neither of these men did anything that was superhuman or really beyond the ability of the average person. What they both DID do was not accept the status quo or accept that making a difference in other people's lives was beyond their abilities. It's easy to admire these men and at the same time wonder, "What would you be willing to do to make a difference"?



Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Mr. President THE SKY IS NOT FALLING


Listening to our President's statements as of late concerning the sequestration and you'd think the sky was about to fall, but by looking at a few FACTS we truly get a different picture. The CBO (Congressional Budget Office) announced that during the month of February alone the National Debt increased by $253,497,921.33. The Presidents "Doom and Gloom" predictions of massive government lay-offs, pay reductions, flight delays, un-safe food, etc. have not planned out nor will they likely anytime soon. The CBO states that $35 billion in discretionary outlays and $9 billion in mandatory spending only amount to $44 billion for 2013 with additional cut happening in later years.

I'm trying figure just how a reduction of $44 billion for the entire YEAR will hurt the funding efforts of a government that borrowed nearly $253.5billion in ONE MONTH. One needs to also keep in mind that the sequestration cuts were only cuts in additional spending, not actual cuts to current spending levels, and even though sequestration cuts were allowed to go in effect we still experience massive increases in government spending over last year.

As we calm down and realize sequestration cuts didn't hurt us one bit we also find out from the CBO that for 2012 the federal government took in a record amount of tax dollars to the tune of $2.7 trillion. Which begs the questions , "If we are taking in record amounts of tax dollars why do we need higher taxes" and  also, "If we take in more in tax dollars now than ever before why are we still borrowing record amounts of money"? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out we do not have a revenue problem as suggested by our President but truly we have a spending problem, and yes Mr. President THE SKY IS NOT FALLING.