The Worrisome Problems As We Head For the 2012 Presidential Election

by Joel Hendon⁽¹⁷¹⁾ Red Star

http://hebronics.org/index.html

The nation is in the most trouble that I can remember or have read of since it’s founding. In fact, the entire world is in the worst condition that I can ever remember hearing of. There were times when the crusades were going on that was indeed bad, but no one had the current weaponry which is now available.

Let’s think back fifty years. Except for the global threats from communist Russia and her allies, not too many people were at war then. The “cold war” was referred to, between the east and the west. Bad, but not as bad as almost every country now being engaged in war with some other nation or engaged in civil war within their own borders.

But even the wars are not the prime worry anymore, although they add to it. Mainly now, it is the economy, of our nation as well as most other nations. Our present predicament started many years ago, some say perhaps under Franklin D. Roosevelt. But regardless of who started it, others perpetuated it and added to it.

When I returned from my military tour of duty in 1953, I took a job at a garment manufacturing plant, as an inventory control clerk. I also started to college in the evenings, under the GI bill. I drew $130. per month from the government, intended to take care of tuition and books, etc. And it did, quite well, in fact I was able to have a slight amount left from it. I began as the clerk earning $0.75 per hour. Exactly $30. per week. So all total, I was having around $60. per week.

I met a girl there who became my wife two years later. She was bringing in about $30-35 per week also, and I also had been raised to $0.90 per hour. Together, we rented a house and bought furniture and appliances for it. About 4 months after we married, my wife discovered she was with child and she became constantly nauseous, so had to stop working.

I soon found that my salary and pittance left from my school money would not support us if we were to start raising children. So, I found a position as an insurance investigator, at around $100. per week which was good money in those days.

Well, to make a long story shorter, we wound up with three children and I determined that I did not want my wife to work and leave those with others. Such arrangements in those days was not the rule, nor was it looked favorably upon.

I have told all of this to show, not only how life was in those days but just how the level of the economy shaped things. The thing is, my wife did not have to return to work, the economy was such that a man who was willing to work hard, could support a family...by himself. Certainly we did not live as the elite, but we managed to eat healthy foods, keep good health insurance and a good automobile. After our children reached high school level or above, and did not require a sitter, my wife did go back to work and by that time, it was beginning to be virtually necessary.

I bought one new automobile...a beautiful Plymouth Fury III, 318 engine, four door sedan., in 1968. $4,070 off the showroom floor. I drove it for 21 years and 228,000 miles.

But, you see, the main thing that was different during those days, was not just that a man could feed his family without her financial help, but the federal government, the states, cities and as well as private organizations, could survive, on limited taxation, and things seemed to be in sync. But I began to see reports of cities becoming near bankruptcy, states also. I didn’t pay much attention to the federal government, because I felt surely it was being run by those with enough brains to keep us solvent, or at least see their way to repay indebtedness when it was incurred.

It has grown worse and worse over the past three decades, at least, and it is now a rarity to find any city or state which is not struggling to avoid bankruptcy, and the federal government is headed into such abysmal indebtedness that one cannot conceive of any way to find our way out.

There are many factors involved in this. But unless good and brilliant men put their heads together to find the solution, problems are just ahead which are irreparable. Not only must the federal government get their act together, citizens must learn to sacrifice more.

No, the problems arose when individuals, couples, cities, states and the nation, all began to yearn for the newest of innovations in homes, advanced automobiles, appliances, all manner of technology. And they began to spend more than they earned. I suggest that every one check the statistics of today as to the amount of money each teenager has invested in the various hand held electronic devices, phones, iPods, cameras, GPS’s, and on and on. Most of which, they do not need at all. Some are helpful but very few are necessary. Also, most have to have designer clothes, name brand shoes, for school or for work. These type things that everyone thinks they most have, costs, by far, more than we had to eat and clothe our families. And I’m not counting the difference in costs, now and then, I mean percentage of earnings.

But our worry is that of attempting to elect people who will, without destroying peoples lives, arrange to have this government live within it’s means, the states, the cities and counties, also to live within their means. Priorities are now in the wrong places. As long as each individual is seeking the candidate which will offer the most freebies to all, we will continue towards oblivion.

Article submitted Tuesday, March 29, 2011 & read 54 times.

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» left by Anonymous (93 days 5 hours ago.)

Heck of a job there, it asbolutely helps me out.

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