Stop Pulling the Wagon

Sometimes it is fun to ask a question, even one that appears controversial.  I am not advocating positions on this.  Just ask the question and then think on it for a while to possible and/or probable conclusions.

Question #1.  Who would have the most to lose monetarily, and likely be put out of business, if all drugs, such as marijuana, cocaine, etc. were legalized?  Here is a hint:  Follow the money.  Keep in mind that health consequences are an issue whether they are legal or illegal.

Question #2.  What would happen if a state,  for example California, were to “go broke” and all the current welfare checks “bounced”?

Question #3.  What if it were a pre-requiste to getting government  (city, county, state or federal) aid, grants or funds,  an applicant were treated like a prospective employee and were subject to background and/or drug testing?  Florida has instituted such a law (effective July 2012).  What do you think will happen if Florida’s law goes into effect?

Question #4.  What would happen if we only subsidized (with public funds and tax dollars) positive behavior and hard work and did not “reward” negative behavior (drug addiction and other counter-productive lifestyles and habits) with taxpayer funded support?

Question #5.  What if many/most of the functions now performed by public (city, county, state, federal) employees were contracted out to private industry on a best bid basis with results accountability and penalties for poor performance?  Would we spend more or less dollars than we are spending now?  What would be the effect on the public employees health and retirement fund liability now faced by taxpayers?

For the sake of discussion lets not consider moral issues here.  Just consider the material outcomes and consequences.

Just something to think about.

Bob Bandy

This was sent to me anonymously and I share it here because I could not have said it any better.

Once upon a time the government had a vast scrap yard in the middle of a desert.  Congress said, “Someone may steal from it at night”.  So they created a night watchman position and hired a person for the job.  Then Congress said, “how does the watchman do his job without instruction?”

So they created a planning department and hired two people.  One person to write the instructions, and one person to do time studies.  Then Congress said, “How will we know the night watchman is doing the tasks correctly?”  So they created a Quality Control department and hired two people.  One was to do the studies and one was to write the reports.

Then Congress said, “how are these people going to get paid?”  So they created two positions: a time keeper and a payroll officer, then hired two people.  Then Congress said, “Who will be accountable for all of these people?”  So they created an administrative section and hired three people, an Administrative Officer, Assistant Administrative Officer, and a Legal Secretary.

Then Congress said, “We have had this command in operation for one year and we are $918,000 over budget, we must cut back.”

So they laid off the night watchman.

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Now slowly let it sink in.  We go like sheep to the slaughter.

Does anybody remember the reason given for the establishment of the Department of Energy during the Carter Administration?  Bottom line is, we’ve spent several hundred billion dollars in support of an agency…. the reason for which not many who read this can remember!

The Department of Energy was instituted on 8/04/1977,  TO LESSEN OUR DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL.   Now it’s 2012 —- 35 years later —- and the budget for this “necessary” department is $24.2 Billion a year.  It has 16,000 Federal Employees and approximately 100,000 contract employees and look at the job it has done!  35 years ago 30% of our oil consumption was foreign imports.  Today 70% of our oil consumption is foreign imports…..  Great job!   Good old Federal bureaucracy.  (And we could supply all our oil needs from the USA)

Now we have turned over large segments of our Banking system, Health Care system and Auto Industry to the same government?

Hello!  Anybody home?

(some editing to shorten without changing content – Bob)

Bob Bandy

The following is taken from a longer document I received online (author unknown) and was asked to share.  I think what it has to say is worth repeating.  If you agree, pass it along to others.

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A Billion is a difficult number to comprehend but one advertising agency did a good job of putting that figure into perspective.

A Billion seconds ago it was 1959.  A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive.  A Billion hours ago our ancestors were living in the stone age.  A Billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet.

A Billion Dollars ago was 8 hours and 20 minutes at the rate our government is spending it!

It’s amazing what you can learn from simple division.  Louisiana Senator, Mary Landrieu asked Congres for 250 Billion Dollars (to) rebuild New Orleans.  If you are one of the 484,674 residents of New Orleans, every man, woman and child would each get $516,528. Or, each of the 188,251 homes in New Orleans would each get $1,329,787.  Or, if you were a family of four, your family would get $2,066,012.

Hello!  Washington, DC – Are all your calculators broken?  100 years ago we did not have most of the taxes we have today,  Our nation was the most prosperous in the world, we had absolutely no national debt, we had the largest middle class in the world and mom stayed home with the kids.

What happened?  Can you spell POLITICIANS?

I could not have said it better……   

Bob Bandy

God, having granted me the grace to reach my current age, has hopefully seen to it that I have learned a few things along lifes path.

Example: good intentions are not enough when creating a New Years Resolution list.  Reality and my own weakness has a way of  bringing even the most lofty and well intentioned promises crashing back to earth.

The first step I must take before preparing a list is to document some observations and hard learned lessons which include but are not limited to:

1. The people at my Bank are not my friends.

2. Expecting efficiency at any government run agency is like waiting up for the Tooth Fairy with a camera.

3. In the political arena it is probably wise to give up my quest for truth and join the increasing number of my fellow citizens who seem content with believing a good fantasy.

4. At my age I need to carefully consider whether buying green bananas with scarce retirement dollars is a wise investment.

5. That a promise not to maim or seriously injure the idiot who cut me off in traffic and then stopped right in front of me may not be realistic if I have to keep that pledge for a full year.

With these guidelines in mind I have decided to simplify this years list to just three pledges which I have a reasonable chance of  following through on:

A. To spend at least part of each day breathing.

B. To have as my goal to Love Much, Laugh Often, Live Generously and Forgive Freely.

C. To cherish and honor my family and friends and to spend as much time with them as possible.

Now about that idiot who cuts me off in traffic…….. hmmmmm?

Bob Bandy

Lets see if I have this straight.  Eric Holder, the Attorney General of the United States, claims that until a few weeks ago he knew nothing about the “Fast and Furious” Gun Running Operation orchestrated out of the Justice Department of which he is the head.  He claims this even after it being documented that he was kept informed by people within “his” own Justice Department.

That leaves us with one of three possibilities:

(1) He is not telling the truth.

(2) He is not competent to be Attorney General.

(3) He is not telling the truth and he is incompetent.

At least he is surrounded by “good company”.  Washington D.C. is the Capitol of lies, incompetence and corruption.  A political Trifecta.

How else do you explain the 15 Trillion Dollars in debt and the continuing destruction of the Free Enterprise System which was once the foundation of our great nation.

The sad truth is that this same incompetence and systemic lies have spread to many, if not most, of our states, counties and cities.  We now find ourselves surrounded by leaders who will not tell us the truth and who continue to prove their incompetence by their inability to balance the public checkbook.

Bob Bandy

NONE ARE MORE HOPELESSLY ENSLAVED THAN THOSE WHO FALSELY BELIEVE THEY ARE FREE. – Goethe

While we like to believe that Slavery was done away with by Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation on January 1st in 1863, the irony is that slavery in many forms is alive and well in our world.

Many of us choose slavery over freedom daily in our lives.  I include myself for many long periods of time.

Whether the addiction is debt, drugs, alcohol, a boat, a destructive relationship or most any other “master” of our lives, it is slavery.  Even an obsession with the pursuit of wealth can become a slavemaster.

The name of this blog is “Stop Pulling The Wagon” and the symbol shows a very tired Taxpayer pulling a wagon with the word “Government”  on the side.  The wagon is overloaded with those who want a free ride.  Unfortunately this is one form of slavery we have little control over unless we want to “drop out” and live under a bridge somewhere.  The most we can hope for is to elect leaders who are committed to tax us the least amount possible.

I believe that giving the government the power to tax is giving it the power to enslave.  If you don’t believe I am right then try not paying your taxes for a while and see what happens.

I also believe that if we truly want more freedom in our lives, we need to not enslave ourselves in those areas where we can choose.

Most of us have a lot of “stuff” in our lives.  Do we own it or does it own us?

While I have little control over the governments ability to tax me, in many ways and with many things the choice is mine.  I can choose Slavery or Freedom.

Just something to think about.

Bob Bandy