Commuter Blues

I drove into work on Tuesday because I had to go to PT afterward (BTW, I actually ran two minutes a couple of times last week) and it was a miserable commute.

At least on the train I can peruse the reading of my choice. All the radio shows talked about were the continued and increasing spending on various programs the government considers necessary. My very own Mayor is lobbying the state legislature to allow for an increased city sales tax for a "limited time" to cover the city's deficit.

My favorite program though is "Cash for Clunkers". How many times has 2outof4 said that if you provide free money, people will spend it! My forensic accountant hat says that this is a huge revenue pull-forward and will only inhibit future revenue growth.

I've been advocating a change to our tax system and highlighting the negatives within the current Withholding structure in regards to government spending, but maybe what we need is an excuse for these pols to limit spending! This articles was sent to me and outlines just that sort of mandate:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203946904574300513655895856.html

Maybe because talking about money in America is taboo from an early age, and there is essentially no education on personal finance as American kids grow up with the exception of what they observe mom and dad doing, we are just uncomfortable confronting each other when spending has to be cut off.

I just went through the unpleasant experience of telling friends I would be unable to make the excursion to Vegas at the end of the month for another friend's bachelor party. But look, am I going to pay for the myriad new insurances that come with being married and a previously planned trip to go and visit Mrs. 2outof4 at her most recent outpost, or am I going to load up the credit card to the tune of another $400 to $600? I certainly would not hang myself out as a model of fiscal restraint over the last year and a half, but in this case the decision was simple, although hard.

We have to start making these kind of harder decisions on the State and Federal levels of government spending. If we cannot really afford Obamacare
(http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203609204574314622075560890.html) or
Cash for Clunkers or Cap and Trade without raising taxes on the Middle Class, then let's figure out another way.

There is no reason to not find innovative, lower cost solutions to the majority of our perceived "necessities" (see prior post on Philadelphia libraries: http://2outof4.blogspot.com/2009/02/hey-mayor-nutter-likes-libraries-too.html), but if the only way to do it is by borrowing from the future, then maybe the only way to control our government spendthrifts is by limiting the amount they can spend!

-2outof4