The big news this week was the sequestration issue. Budget cuts will go into effect for all government agencies come October. You’d almost think the sky was falling from the way the media carried on.
This whole idea of less money to spend is good. For too long, the United States has acted like you can just put your hand in your pocket and the money magically appears. Unfortunately when it comes to Congress, it’s our pockets they’re digging into. 
We need to learn to budget tightly and stop spending money on “wants” and only spend federal dollars on “needs”. It’s the only way to get out of the terrible debt we’ve allowed Congress to get us into.
We need to stop expecting the government to support us. We should rely on ourselves and God. By allowing the government to support you, you are putting all your faith in something other than God. Proverbs is full of verses that deal with working hard. Proverbs 12:11 reads, Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense. Proverbs 14:23 says, All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. And Proverbs 18:9 adds, One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys.
Some of the changes we need to look into:
1. Welfare – This was supposed to be a helping hand, not a lifestyle. It’s like the Chinese proverb: “If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.” Welfare is like giving a man a fish. Limit the amount of months (not years) a person can receive it. Then make them get an education while on it.
2. Social Security Disability Income – Again limit the amount of time. And too many things are considered a disability these days. Alcoholism. Seems to me we can cure that, and drug abuse. Make the recipient go into treatment. Give them shots that make them sick if they drink or use drugs. Shouldn’t take more than a year to get it out of their system. Depression is now a disability. I have a friend who is getting assistance for this, yet she is not required to go to a psychiatrist or volunteer, which by the way mental health professionals are realizing helps cure depression. Bad back, go to physical therapy for three hours, three times a week. Exercise does wonders for an aching back. The problem with SSDI is the government hands out the money but doesn’t oversee any of it.
3. Congress does not get paid unless they balance the budget. Then they have to live within the constraints of that budget.
4. Flat tax – everyone in this country pays 10%. No more tax write offs for the wealthy, no more earned income credit for those not earning income. Even people on government assistance must pay 10%.
These changes might hurt at first, but we will eventually learn to adjust. One thing we need to realize is if everyone keeps requesting a hand out, we will become a people who will fall for anyone who tells us they will give us the best deal. That’s a scary proposition if you really think about it.
What ways do you think the government can save money? How do you think this sequestration is going to affect you?
I agree 100% – safety nets should not become entitlements. But we need to do one more thing – we need to get government regulations, taxes, and penalties for business under control in order to allow them to get back to creating the jobs all those people coming off welfare and disability are going to need. We think outsourcing is bad, but we make it nearly impossible for some businesses to thrive otherwise. Just one small example is the onerous taxes to be levied against manufacturers of small medical devices by Obamacare. Many of these companies are small and homegrown, but they will either close or go offshore once they have to pay penalties and taxes that make manufacturing them at home cost prohibitive. How many jobs will that cost? To say nothing of how it will increase medical costs.
You’re right. It should cost more to oursouce a job than to keep it here in this country. And no federal funds should be sent to any business outside the United States.