Pay the Piper

Fellow Americans,

Of all the stories in the news lately, one has been completely overlooked.  It’s the elephant in the room that is seen but ignored because it is uncomfortable to acknowledge.  The elephant I’m referring to is our national debt.  According to www.usdebtclock.org, our national debt is over $22.5 trillion!  Medicare/Medicaid and Social Security account for approximately 38% of our total debt.  As our government continues to spend more money than it receives in taxes, America is going bankrupt.  What’s appalling to me is that none of the nearly two dozen presidential candidates ever mention our national debt!  Instead, they want to trade freebies (at taxpayer expense) for votes! 

To bring America back from the brink of disaster, I think the government should abolish Medicare/Medicaid and Social Security.  In my opinion, my retirement and my healthcare needs are my responsibility.  I should work hard, earn my keep, and keep what I earn.  It’s my job, not the government’s, to take care of me and my family!  At our founding, America had no government-sponsored social welfare programs.  People were expected to be self-reliant and provide for themselves.  If they fell on hard times, they turned to their families and communities for help.  They also turned to their churches.  Why aren’t we held to that standard today? 

Our Constitution guarantees us the rights to Life, Liberty, and Property.  It does not and should not guarantee freebies from the government.  Sure, there will always be people with mental and physical problems.  There will always be people in need.  But charity should not be compulsory.  Whether I want to give my money to someone or not, that’s my business because it’s my money!  The government should quit playing Robin Hood and keep its hands out of our pockets.  It should stand aside and allow the free market to accommodate our retirement and medical needs.

Friends, at some point in the near future, America will have to pay the piper.  Our government will go broke and our economy will collapse, which will be the end of America as we know it.  Our youngsters should be taught self-reliance and frugality at once.  Please, do your own homework and then teach others.  To learn more about economics and American history, look up Milton Friedman, Walter Williams, and Thomas Sowell on YouTube.  Not only are their life stories educational and fascinating, their lessons are tried and true.  May God bless you and the United States of America!

Dan Landi

Kidder, MO