Spend less than you make

It is hard to believe, but I see a huge light at the end of the book-writing tunnel in which I have been mired for nearly two years. I expect that I will be finished writing the rough draft of my memoir by the end of this month. I will spend a few weeks with the final editing process and then either find a publisher or publish it myself and will be finished with this huge project, hopefully by summer.

I have led an incredibly rich and intricate life and as major events, (both good and bad), have unfolded, I have learned some interesting and valuable things about life that I refer to as, “Lessons Learned”. Taken as a whole they summarize my life struggle and its meaning and I have decided to share them with my readers by including a “Lessons Learned” chapter. I made some serious mistakes and I did some things right, and I hope that now that I draw towards the end of my journey that I can offer valuable advice that could help readers in their own walk.

I wish congress and our current administration would read it, not only because they need to turn to God, but because they need to learn that too much borrowing can lead to financial disaster. Over a period of time they have amassed a huge national debt for our beleaguered country. With each ensuing budget the country’s debt is increased by a mind-boggling amount. They keep spending more than they take in and that budget deficit gets added to the already staggering national debt and now it has reached what I believe to be approaching apocalyptic heights. If it continues, we better get with Rosetta Stone to buy a course that teaches us how to speak Chinese, because the Chinese will own this country, (and if we live in their country, we should learn their language).

Lesson learned: Families, businesses, and/or our country cannot spend more than they take in or they will ultimately face financial disaster.

Programs need to be cut in order to do this. Hopefully it can be limited to cutting the fat, but we may need to get into the muscle and even on down to the bone. I learned this lesson after 9/11 when our company did not make a sale for 3 months due to our nation’s grief and shock over being successfully attacked by fanatical Muslims. I could not keep spending money in my company as though times were normal. I had to cut back and unfortunately being in the software business meant that people would lose their jobs, because there was nowhere else to cut.

It was painful to lay them off, but how much more painful would it have been for the entire company to fail and everyone to lose their jobs. I made the tough choices. I personally agonized over letting some good people go, but I knew that I had a job to do, and as tough as it was, I was determined to make the difficult decisions that would save our company. Simultaneously I implemented an aggressive sales program geared towards convincing and motivating our customers that life goes on and it is time to quit grieving and get back to work and start spending their money again, (on my company’s software).

We all wish we had leadership that would make those kinds of tough decisions in our government, but it seems that the spineless majority is more interested in feeding the special interest groups like trial lawyers, unions, corporations, and nuts of every persuasion including environmental nuts, abortion nuts, ACORN nuts, and all those who think the American dream means that there is nothing wrong with taking government handouts and being too lazy to work, as long as they continue to vote in a block for their enablers.

We can make a difference as the Tea Party Movement has aptly demonstrated. Let your voices be heard and tell our leaders that we are fed up with their spending habits and we are prepared to accept less in order to live within our means and thereby save our country

Proverbs 21:20
In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has.

Proverbs 22:7
The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.