| More government does, less that makes sense |
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By: STEPHEN LEWIS, Post Columnist
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Posted: Monday, August 10, 2009 2:15 pm
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You know what I don't understand about government? Never mind, that would take this whole newspaper to explain. You know what I do understand about government? Absolutely nothing. That pretty much sums it up. What is it about someone that causes them to lose all common sense when they get elected to public office? Don't believe me? Then just take a look at some recent developments.
Have you been keeping up the “Cash for Clunkers” program? A person can get $4,500 toward the purchase of a new car as long as it gets 10 miles more per gallon than what they traded in. Also, the car or truck they trade in must get 18 miles or less per gallon. Sounds like a pretty good deal, no?
But if you look a little closer you might see the reality the way I see it. What got us into this economic recession to begin with? A large part of it was brought on by people making poor decisions regarding buying houses they couldn’t afford. So in essence the government is giving people $4,500 to go $25,000 in debt on a new car. Just thinking out loud; what happens when that person loses their job, has a medical emergency, or life just happens and they can't make the payments? My point is this: Why give people money to entice them to go into debt when debt is what got us here in the first place?
And if you are going to offer this program doesn't it make sense that you would only offer the money on the purchase of a General Motors vehicle since the government (all of us taxpayers) now owns a substantial percentage of GM? Just a thought.
And while I'm on the subject of debt, how about that stimulus package? Here’s the way I see it: Several thousands, perhaps millions of people got too far into debt and defaulted. Because of that many large and small banks came close to going under. So to cover for all the people who spent too much money they didn't have, the government decided we should all be in debt and is spending trillions of taxpayer dollars the U.S. doesn't have. I guess the government figures misery loves company. So if a few are in debt we might as well all be.
And finally, the government now wants to reform health care. I haven’t read the 700 plus pages of the health care reform bill but I think I can reform health care in less than a page. No. 1, if you are a U.S. citizen you have priority over non-U.S. citizens. No. 2, all children are covered by some form of insurance. You can't help who your parents are now can you? No. 3, no doctor can own a boat more than 20 feet in length, a house more than 4,000 square feet, or a car that has the words “Rolls,” “Benz,” or “Ferrari” in its name. And all doctors are limited to one trophy wife per lifetime. By doing that maybe an office visit to a doctor won't be an automatic $150 before any treatment is prescribed.
But sometimes government does indeed work. Former president Bill Clinton just came back from North Korea with the two female journalists who had been imprisoned as spies. After a little schmoozing with North Korea's dictator, Kim Jong Il, the journalists and President Clinton were on a plane back to the U.S. Way to go President Clinton! Of course rumor is on the flight back the president was having both journalists fitted for blue dresses. Wink, wink. |
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