In times of national, familial or personal stress we often
allow our “feelings” or reactions to get the better of us and the situation. We
may lash out, withdraw or wallow in our victimhood. Each of these spontaneous
responses is generated by our feelings…our emotions. When we encounter some
aspect of government that directly affects us….for good or for ill, it is
critical that we face the program or the activity with as much mental clarity
as we can muster. We must be in our best conditioning for reasoning. We must
exercise our mental muscles.

Let’s examine one of the most painful and obvious examples
of unconstitutional governmental abuse. This program is clearly
unconstitutional and given the way that it has been administered by government
through the decades is also immoral. Yet, most people…even the hardest core
fiscal conservatives do not want anyone to tamper with the program or to speak
of ending it. The infamous “third rail” of politics is Social Security…the
grandiose ponzi scheme that robs future generations of their legacy of liberty.
I personally have heard self-proclaimed constitutional conservatives vehemently
criticize fiscal hawks for “messing’ with their Social Security. They claim
that because they have contributed for nearly all of their working lives, they
are “entitled” to the benefits. They have earned them. Their sentiments may be
true and justified, but we have no funded trust for retirees, and the nation is
broke…busted…upside down. When the system began, nearly a dozen full-time workers
were needed to fund one retiree’s benefits. Now three workers provide the
necessary cash flow, and soon only two workers will be shouldering the load for
their elders. The reasons for this change are several, but the dominate ones
are increasing and more broadly distributed benefits, and the massive infusion
of “Baby Boomers” into the system concurrent with several decades of smaller
family growth.

So, Friends, who claim to be fiscal conservatives, it is
time to pony up. You cannot in good conscience or with any moral basis
whatsoever expect the nation to return to fiscal sanity if you are not willing
to forgo your “entitlements.” Get over it. The programs that you cherish so
dearly have not been funded for years. You bought the sizzle without the steak,
and now you expect future generations to provide the steak with no sizzle for
them. The people who follow you did not lie and over-promise. Why does your
greed or self-interest become more important than the future generations’
survival? Before you begin gnashing your teeth, pulling your hair or slitting
your wrists, think about the net result of eliminating the entitlement system.

Each company and every worker would have an additional 7.5%
(rounded off for illustration purposes) net income available for assisting
family members in need. The additional cash-in-pocket amount would accelerate
the economy, thus providing even more activity and availability for assisting
or charitable giving. You might say,”But they won’t help me.” Perhaps, but your
odds of collecting real money from the government are shrinking every day,
every hour. In addition to the instant economic boost achieved by eliminating
certain entitlements, we would also gain the added benefit of losing a volatile
wedge issue for the big spending politicians. The demagoguery on this issue
alone has contributed mightily to our economic death spiral. Do the math with
an objective mind. You may take a hit, but it won’t be as great as if you
continue to insist on “everything that you have coming to you.” One other
economic benefit is that if we eliminate all those fiat government dollars
chasing food supplies, we should experience some leveling of the food
inflationary trend.

Emotional responses are powerful, and the survival instinct
is too. This debate that is going on today revolves around the nature and
purpose of government…its role in our lives. My Libertarian preferences are
clear. I want the federal government to fit in a shoebox and be strictly
limited to its Article 1, Section 8 enumerated powers or duties. Many of you
readers are not libertarian but do proclaim yourselves to be constitutional
conservatives except for…..Social security, Medicare, farm subsidies, corporate
incentives, home mortgage tax breaks… any number of government programs or
benefits that help YOU. As much as I care for you, your bennies are bad just
like welfare, foreign aid, unnecessary wars, bailouts, sweetheart deals, and
all other over reaching aspects of government goodies….and control. Many of us
have become like crack addicts in the drug dens of benign government, and …
we’re dying because of our unwillingness to kick our habits. As libertarians,
conservatives, tea party members and patriots you (we) must be committed to
going “cold turkey” from government’s largesse. It’s a big step, but it does
not match pledging “our lives, our fortunes or our sacred honor.”

If we are truly serious about restoring limited
constitutional government, the task must begin at home.

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