There's an Update on Security for Biden's Gaza Port and a New 'Peacekeeping...
Biden Blows Off Respects for Murdered New York City Police Officer
New York City Councilwoman Gets Ratioed Into Oblivion Over One Question
CNBC: Voters Want Trump to Combat Runaway Inflation
‘No Tampons, No Peace!’: Panic at Vanderbilt University Sit-In As Protestors Realize It...
DNC Holds 'Emergency Call' As Dems Panic Over RFK Jr.'s VP Pick
Comer Urges Joe Biden to Testify As Part of Impeachment Inquiry
A Massive Government Assisted Caravan Is Heading Through Mexico
Americans React to Biden Skipping Out on Slain NYPD Officer's Wake and Instead...
How Does RFK Jr. Affect This Presidential Race?
Judge In Hunter Biden's Tax Fraud Case Doesn't Buy Attorney's Claims
New Poll Shows How Hispanic Voters Feel About Biden Describing Laken Riley's Alleged...
Who Will Replace Mike Gallagher? Poll Shows It's Pro-Trump Alex Bruesewitz’s 'Race to...
Flashback: Two Cycles After Running on Gore's Ticket, Lieberman Endorses McCain at GOP...
Here's When Impeachment Articles Against Mayorkas Will Be Presented to the Senate
OPINION

Seizing the “Shutdown” Opportunity

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Townhall.com.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

No matter the reference source, whether it’s Wikipedia, Dictionary.com, The Free Dictionary, or just good old-fashioned Merriam-Webster, the definition for the word “budget” is basically the same. For those U.S. Senators and U.S. Congressmen who happen to be reading this column, let me refresh your memories, or perhaps clarify the meaning for the first time: Budget - an estimate, often itemized, of expected income and expenses for a given period in the future…a plan of operations based on such an estimate. In the hands of a politician, I certainly realize this definition leaves a great deal of wiggle room, especially when many of these “folks” (an Obama catchword) are lawyers. However, somehow the average citizen clearly understands the idea of money-in and money-out. Therefore, when the expenses exceed the income, the normal and natural thing to do is either try to increase the income, or decrease the expenses. What a brilliant concept! And it’s easily understood, unless you’re a United States Senator or a United States Congressman. Consequently, instead of viewing our current so-called government shutdown as a catastrophe, it should be embraced as an opportunity.

Advertisement

There are very few people who would argue with the notion that the U.S. government has become extremely bloated. As an example, originally started under President Jimmy Carter in 1977, the shelf life of the Department of Energy was anticipated to be just a few years, and yet decades later, it’s grown to 13,814 employees. Under our current government shutdown, however, a total of 8,471 Energy Department employees are viewed as non-essential. Logically, those workers viewed as non-essential should be downsized, retired, strategically altered, or whatever they call it according to the current government lexicon.

Currently, we have boots on the ground in more countries than prior to 9/11. In addition, we continue, at the benefit of the military industrial complex, to produce military hardware in order to fight a so-called enemy that still communicates by passing paper notes, farms on a day-to-day basis, and then sends their kids to the U.S. for an education.

This current government shutdown certainly provides the perfect opportunity to do some much-needed budget cutting, and that includes reevaluating the seemingly untouchable Defense Department.

Productivity is demanded daily in the corporate world, and common sense is demanded daily in everyday family life. Yet, when people become United States Senators and United States Congressmen, both productivity and common sense apparently go out the window — it must be something in the Washington, D.C. air.

Advertisement

Regardless, it’s definitely time to seize this moment as a prime opportunity to “live within our money, not within our means” and truly create a real federal budget.



MacroProfit

It’s Free — Don’t Miss It!

  • Between now and the end of the month, MacroProfit, Bill Tatro’s dynamic monthly financial newsletter (abridged August 2013 version) is available for free

  • Each and every month, MacroProfit provides in-depth analysis regarding the economics of finance, politics, and history — vital information that’s tailor-made to you and your financial well-being. And that’s not all. Now, the words are brought to life with vibrant video and audio, innovative technology few others can match, including a podcast feature that allows for many of the topics to be expanded upon even further

  • Just visit macroprofitnewsletter.com — it’s Free!


Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Recommended

Trending on Townhall Videos