I Want To Be A Government
Earlier this year, Shirley Franklin, the Mayor of Atlanta, announced that because of something like stupid accounting (that’s not a quote) she had just learned that the City was about $70 million short. Lots of talk: early retirements, layoffs, tax increases.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported today that the Georgia Department of Transportation may be a BILLION dollars in the hole due to spending state funds based on expected federal funds that it wasn’t entitled to.
Then there is the fed its self, just about to give out something north of a HUNDRED BILLION BORROWED dollars to stimulate the economy. We won’t talk about Bear Stearns or Iraq.
Given the bucks, I’ll settle for being a township (we don’t have those down here, but, I’m willing to move up north). I’ll just spend a bunch of money and then announce that I’d not been paying enough attention. I won’t apologize. I’ll just announce that the rest of you people in MY township are going to have to hunker down, tighten your belts and help us to get through this crisis.
7 comments:
The government budget stuff frustrates me to no end. How can we be in Iraq for 5+ years, with an open-ended commitment and still be funding it with "emergency spending" measures?!? After the first budget cycle passed, it should have been included in the regular budget. It is NOT an unforeseeable expense at this point.
My own personal budget is balanced - why can't I expect this of my local, state, and national governments? What they are doing, and have been doing for years, is unsustainable. I saw that in my personal finances years ago, and made a change. Paid off my debts, shifted my spending priorities, and got financially healthy again. I sleep a lot better at night now. How can our leaders behave so recklessly with our money (and the money of the future) and still live with themselves?
I heard this morning on NPR that the war in Iraq is costing the US $5000 per MINUTE...and there's no end in sight, and the powers that be love to pontificate how we can't pull out when things are starting to get better, and we can't pull out when they're going badly, yada yada yada...
We'll never be able to control our budget cause all of our money is going to the war.Soon we will have no money to control.
We put oursellves on a budget also.Haven't used credit cards for maybe six seven years. Before I retired I started putting away money for emergencies so that I wouln't have to use them ever again.
I like that idea. And why not? You know, I watch the various groups in eastern Europe struggle for independence and think, why not take it to the logical extreme? Why not every person their own government. Dave, future historians (an oxymoron?) may point back to this posting of yours as a the birth of a new world order. I'll follow your lead (and just mention in passing that I already consider ours a diplomatic relationship).
I'm a fed employee and have 25 years of government service that inlcudes my 6 years in the military. I would love to be offered the early retirement and would sign on the dotted line immediately. The federal government is a mess. I'd love to get out while I can.
Good post Dave.
I notice you didn't post any pictures from the Masters trip we made where it rained all day.
Whoops! Commented on wrong Post.
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