Wiped out...

Although a lot of younger people might find it hard to believe, it wasn’t very many years ago that indoor plumbing was a luxury not every family enjoyed. When I was born, my family lived in a farmhouse that had running water inside, but the bathroom facilities were located about fifty feet from the back porch, down a well-worn path in a little building affectionately known as the outhouse. Not having any electricity for light, heat, or ventilation, it was utilitarian structure, and most people didn’t tarry there any longer than necessary, especially in the dead of winter or the heat of summer.

  Even with its drawbacks, it usually fulfilled the gastrointestinal needs of both family and visitors to our home. It also happened that this particular outhouse had another drawback, that being a questionably reliable door latch. One breezy summer day, while we were sitting and visiting on the back porch, one of Mom’s friends decided she needed to visit the privy.

  Between the breeze and the faulty latch, the stage was set for a most unfortunate occurrence, when the door blew open and exposed (so to speak) the surprised lady with her dress up and her pants down, to the just as surprised crowd gathered on the porch. Her dilemma, of course, was whether it was more important to finish the job at hand, including the paperwork, or stand up and make an effort to close the door in hopes of maintaining a little bit of dignity. Mom made us all go into the house immediately, so I never really knew which course of action she chose. I certainly never had the nerve to ask.

  I imagine we have all found ourselves in situations occasionally when we just didn’t have enough hands, time, or money to do everything that needed to be done. Those are the times we have to decide what is the most important to us, but I’m not convinced we always make the right decisions. I am convinced that the more limited we are with time or money, or both, the more important it is for us to make the right decisions.

  Our representatives in the federal government spent a lot of time in the last few months arguing about whether or not there should be a few more restrictions placed on people when they decide to purchase a gun. The people who think there shouldn’t be more restrictions won the argument for now, but the people who think there should be more restrictions have vowed to keep on arguing. They’re also arguing about whether gay people should be allowed to get married, whether or not people who sell items on the internet should pay sales tax, and they’ve even managed to work in a couple of conversations about which country does or doesn’t need to be invaded next.

 Now, I understand that our representatives are supposed to argue, but here’s the thing. The federal government is $16 trillion in debt, and it’s adding another $1.2 trillion each year. It is approaching $100 trillion in unfunded liabilities, and it’s printing $80 billion in new fiat money every month.

  Regardless of how you feel about gun restrictions, gay marriage, the internet or Syria, the reality is, first of all, we have to get a handle on the federal government’s debt and spending. It’s by far the most urgent problem we face.

  And we need to do it pretty soon, before it wipes us out.