Konrad Heid, guest columnist: Another run at fiscal irresponsibility

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November 28, 2009

Anonymous The Joplin Globe Sat Nov 28, 2009, 08:51 AM CST

Our nation’s politicians are in the grips of another run at fiscal irresponsibility with their proposed legislation for health care.

On one side of the aisle there are many emotional pleas for government health care programs claiming those who are opposed to the several proposals offered by the Democrats are uncaring people.

This may be a good strategy for getting legislation passed, but if current proposals are passed, it is adding another fiscal disaster soon thereafter.

Do we know how much a trillion is? I think it’s 1,000 billion, isn’t it?

We keep hearing about our $12 trillion of public debt. This is large, but only a small piece of our debt pie.

CNBC, the financial network, had a guest recently, Dave Walker of the Peter C. Peterson Foundation. He laid out our real public debt, which is growing by the billions daily.

* $36.3 trillion in under-funded obligations for Medicare.

* $6.6 trillion in under-funded obligations for Social Security.

* $12 trillion in recognized public debt (increased 1.4 trillion in fiscal 2009).

* $1.5 trillion in unfunded obligations for railroad, military and federal retirement.

This totals up to $56.4 trillion or $184,000 per person in the United States. Not per adult, but per person.

These government obligations are being funded by you folks who are still working every day; without changes or higher taxes this system eventually collapses.

We are not teaching fiscal responsibility in our schools or at home!

The Joplin Globe has a contributing voice, a retired university professor; some of my friends suggested I should read what he writes. I quickly saw their concerns.

If this is the rhetoric our young people coming out of college hear in the classroom, it is no wonder they have little understanding of fiscal responsibility for our government or themselves.

The professor was recently quoting some report that 45,000 people die every year because they don’t have health insurance. Wow, they die because they don’t have insurance? How about because they’re ill? Professor, pony up your $184,000!

Oh, and then throw in another $25,000 as that will be your additional share within the next six or seven years! Then, we’ll talk about your insistence on the need for another government program.

We’ve painted ourselves into a huge debt corner and we’re not willing to let the paint dry so we can get out.

We just keep slopping paint provided by the likes of China, Japan and other countries around the world. After all, they hold half our paint supply! Wait a minute who holds the other half of our paint? We do, right here in the United States, our financial institutions, the federal reserve and our retirees.

If we are not willing to face up to fiscal responsibility for our nation, we are on a path to bankruptcy. Too many decisions are being made on emotion and compassion; how about reality for a change?

Konrad Heid lives in Joplin.

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Konrad Heid, guest columnist: Another run at fiscal irresponsibility

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