Thoughtful Thursday – Big Government

I’m on the road for work, so this post will be a little short, but I’d be interested in hearing what you have to say!

For starters, let me say that I’m as pissed as the rest of America about the millions paid by AIG in bonuses. What I wonder is why there is so far not so great a fuss about the billions sent overseas to various banks. But I digress.

Again, it’s very disappointing about the bonuses, but I think the disappointment and anger at AIG is misplaced for a number of reasons.

For starters, it’s not uncommon in the financial sector that people get paid a small regular salary and receive the “bonus” as part of their regular salary package. It’s upsetting now since the money is coming from taxpayer dollars, but the point is that these people negotiated these payments as part of a regular and ordinary salary practice.

If you want to blame anyone, ask yourself why it is that the Government provided billions to various financial institutions with full awareness of things like these bonuses. What the Government should have done is lay out the guidelines as to what these financial institutions could do with the monies provided and what they could not do.

The 90% tax imposed to attempt to fix that mistake, while pleasing the public that is riled, is wrong on so many levels. The tax code wasn’t written to penalize anyone and to use it for this reason is wrong.

Again I digress. What I’m trying to say is that Government has to lead by acting thoughtfully and not in haste and certainly not in reaction to public polls and opinions. What the public wants isn’t necessarily what’s right.

Government also has to lead by example. In other words, pay your share of the taxes, don’t vote yourselves a pay raise and find a way to put money back into the hands of hard-working Americans because, IMHO, Government doesn’t know how to manage money. How many times do we hear about cost overruns on Government projects, bloated administrations, $640 toilet seats and $436 hammers!

What do you think? Do you trust the Government to know how to spend all this money?

5 Replies to “Thoughtful Thursday – Big Government”

  1. I find it hard to trust anyone anymore.
    Friends, yes, family, yes, but outside of that very elite circle, hmmm.

    If the government wants to clean up its act, which I thought they were intending to do, there are sooo many places for them to start.

    Maybe they could open up the gov’t offices directory, stick a pin in a name, and start from there.

    Stranger things have been done.

  2. It is beyond sad when you look at how they get away with blowing money… who pays that for a hammer and toilet, etc… we all know that there are more important uses for that money! Where are their heads!?!

  3. Helll no! ❗ The government ‘managing’ money… No, m’dear. They only know how to pad pockets and spend money.

    IMHO, I think if the government really wanted to bail out America they would have sent a Million Dollars to each ‘Household’ in America. Now before you disagree think about it for a minute.
    If you had an extra million in your hands what would you do with it?
    Put it in the bank? Well, hello that would help our banks, right? ❓
    Spend it on toy’s – new car – motorhome? Buy a new house…pay off your home? Would all of this NOT boost our economy? Would you quit your day job and write all the time? If you did wouldn’t that open up a job and lower our unemployment rate? ❓

    And here is the kicker to that plan… If our lovely government would have gave a million dollars to each household ~ hell to each American.. we still would have SAVED money.

    No, no… instead we get taxed… our children will be paying our dept for years and years… And yet Octomom sits back and goes on shopping spree’s with our money… Aint it grand? 👿

    Okay… I’m done now. Sorry to have chimed in in such a huge way.

  4. Look at the condition the government is in and then you have your answer. I have always felt that better guidelines should have been in place BEFORE all that money was handed out. There were lots of restrictions put on the auto makers before they got their loans so why were none put on the big banks? For them, it’s business as usual. Get me off my soapbox please,LOL. I get carried away by all this mess our country is in. There is enough blame for everyone to claim their share. Have a great day and hugs to all.

  5. This is certainly an issue for debate. And you echo my brother, who owns a business. He’s really fed up with how the Government is run, period. And I agree with you, it’s a crock the way the Government can’t, or won’t manage the tax payer’s money.

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