Responsible Spending

It is a simple fact that if I consistently spend more than I receive in income, I will bring myself to financial ruin. If businesses in this country adopted the policy of spending more than revenues will allow, there would be no more businesses to provide goods and services for us. Yet, Congress, on a consistent basis, continues to spend more than is received in revenue. Hopefully, our federal legislators and President are able to balance their personal check books, but most of them do not see the necessity of balancing the federal budget.

Our country now has a budget deficit that exceeds $1.5 trillion, and America is borrowing staggering amounts of money from other countries. This is irresponsible and dangerous. We should not be this deep in debt, and our dependence upon the other countries that hold our debt is undesirable.

The North Carolina State Grange advocates for a balanced federal budget. However, we are partly to blame for the budget deficit, because of our dependency upon services provided by the government. Imagine if in the next few years Congress decides to balance the budget, it would generate an outpouring of complainints from us because some service that we like has been eliminated or reduced.

What are we willing to give up in order to have a balanced budget? Should we reduce or eliminate the military, medicare, medicaid, education spending, farm subsidies, transportation funding, social security, NASA, environmental funding, or other entitlement programs? Some terribly difficult decisions would have to be made as part of balancing the budget. Furthermore, the State Grange advocates for adequate funding of many of these programs. As unpleasant as it would be to lose something that we value, and even greater concern are the problems created by us that we will hand down to the generations coming behind us.

My first grandchild is 6 months old, and I cannot help but be concerned about the problems she may face in the years ahead because of the conditions we are now creating. It is extremely important that we make every effort to fix those things that we know are broken so that my grandchildren and yours have a brighter future ahead.