Shire Network News #149

Shire Network News #149 has been released. The feature interview is with the Director of probably this year’s most universally panned movie (in the main stream media). Yes we speak to David Zucker, director of An American Carol. David speaks to us about the movie’s initial reception and the process behind getting an overtly conservative movie out of Hollywood. Click here for the show notes, links, and ways to listen to the show; directly from the web site, by downloading the mp3 file, or by subscribing with your podcatcher of choice.

Below is the text of my commentary.

Hi, this is Doug Payton for Shire Network News, asking you to "Consider This!"

Dave Ramsey is a syndicated talk show host here in the States, and he gives advice on how to get out of debt, something we Americans are in love with.  An occasional forlorn caller to his show will indicate the desire to make more money so that he or she can pay all their bills.  What Dave and many other financial advisors would say is; control your spending.  You have much more control over that, and without discipline and good habits on the spending side, no amount of money will ever be enough.

Well, somebody at the New York Times needs to give Dave a call.  In a recent editorial, the first sign of someone who is in deep denial about our financial situation was quite evident.  "The big issue for each candidate," they said, "is not spending, per se, but how the crisis will affect their promises on taxes."  What?  We spend 3 trillion dollars a year, and the problem isn’t spending?  Aside from perhaps the dire need to include wool research funding in a 700 trillion dollar credit rescue bill (and who could argue with that, really?), this is the top financial priority in the United States. 

Now, most Americans can’t just legislate more income (well, unless they work for a union).  The government is in a position to say both how much they earn…well, take…as well as how much they spend.  But the typical government mindset is to never decrease spending if at all possible, and to mischaracterize reductions when necessary.  When Sarah Palin tripled spending for pregnant teens, the Washington Post said she "slashed funding".  Now, when you hear the term "slashed" you think of someone losing an arm in a horror flick, not growing 2 additional ones.  And yet, since Palin didn’t quadruple the spending, as was originally requested, the Post said, with a straight face, that she "slashed" it by 20%.  Only in Washington, DC, and in its media, is a 200% increase called a 20% cut. 

This is a toxic environment for someone who should be taking Ramsey’s advice.  The liberal media are certainly one contributor to this, but there’s another culprit.  To quote the old comic strip Pogo, "We have met the enemy…and he is us".  The entitlement mindset of Americans who ask, "What has government done for me today?", is perhaps the primary culprit, if indeed we have a government "of the people".  Just see what would happen if a presidential candidate actually suggested the government should live within its means, spending no more than it takes in.  Hoo boy, the sparks would fly!  But after keeping our hands off welfare, staying away from entitlements, continuing those ever-so-badly-needed subsidies to all manner of businesses, and not touching each person’s pet project, we’d probably be in the same exact place we are now. 

You see, we are keeping our politicians from making the tough decisions.  Because as soon as they make them, they become our ex-politicians.  John F. Kennedy did not say, "Ask what your country can do for you", but today his Democratic party spends like a drunken sailor, finding new and exciting ways to live up to Robin Hood’s exacting standards.  And to be honest, Republicans, for the past 8 years, have certainly shown that they can get rather tipsy themselves.  A recent poll said that 60% of Americans would replace the entire Congress, yet their Congressmen and women keep getting re-elected over and over again.

My fellow Americans, do you want to help solve this financial crisis?  Look in the mirror and have a heart-to-heart with that guy or girl.  And my fellow Anglospherans…Anglospheriacs…Anglo…my fellow English-speakers from all over; you are getting hit as hard or harder by this, and you, too, have mirrors or silver tea sets or puddles of water you can stare into.  Let’s stop this entitlement mentality.  It begins with us.

And if you see someone on the street, staring at the side of a mirrored-glass building, talking to him- or herself, be glad to know that they took the time to consider this.

Filed under: Economics • Politics • Shire Network News

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