Cut costs

I recently heard from someone and their financial picture is grim. In order to resolve the dilemma the entire focus seems to be confined to increasing revenue.

Hmmm Kind of sounds like our federal government doesn’t it? Gosh one might think that they would at least *consider* the other side of the equation, cutting expenditures. Yep, that’s right, I dared to say it, consider quit spending so much money and balance the budget. I know that sounds unpopular, but hey all I said was, “consider it”. I didn’t tell anyone to go getting radical and actually cut their spending habits and live within their means or anything.

I remember shortly after 911 our company was facing a severe financial crisis. Our country remained glued to their television sets mourning our losses, fearing what would come next, and looking for answers. This nationwide feeling had a negative impact on our ability to sell our products, (just like hundreds of thousands of other businesses that were trying to sell their wares). All of our potential customers wanted to wait and see what was coming next before spending anything. Increasing revenues did not look like a viable option. We cut costs and worked even harder than we had ever worked and fought our way out of it.

I think our economy is suffering today in similar fashion. One thing seems certain about our current government leadership; no one is interested in cutting spending. That would be unthinkable. No they only look at more spending. They want to provide everything under the sun to those who cannot afford it.

These are noble ideas, but how to pay for it? Like the person I recently heard from that is nearing financial ruin the spotlight is limited to increasing revenues, which in our nation’s case translates into increasing taxes on the folks who pay the bills in this country. These folks are the successful business owners, which they derisively label as “The wealthy”. They are the vermin that dare to go out in the world and take risks and heaven forbid work! It’s disgusting. All they want to do is make profit. In order to do so they must not only increase revenues somehow, but live within their means and control their spending. They also have to work hard EVERY day, (imagine that!), and even face the distinct possibility that they might lose their life savings if the business does not go well Jeez! Frightening isn’t it.

It is a downright shame that now all of those greedy wealthy business people scums are taking a wait and see position and have stopped investing their millions in expansion of their businesses and hiring more people. The more demonic among them are actually reducing their workforce in order to hunker down even more. For some reason they will not take excessive risks and invest more because they want to know that there is a chance to make a profit and not have the government take it away.

Some might say that all of these smart people downright fear what the government’s leadership will do next. One thing is certain, these business owners will sit and they will wait, and they will coast along on idle awaiting the inevitable political change that the public will demand after their suffering with high unemployment, inflation, and unimaginable national debt becomes unbearable. When the tax and spend and giveaway programs subside the business owners will fire back up their businesses and go back to work. Let’s hope that is not too far in the future, (2010), and importantly that too much damage has not already been done.

All through time as we know it there have been those who work hard and smart and they succeed wildly. There are also those who are lazy and want a free ride and hardly work at all and fail miserably. And there have always been those in society like Karl Marx who arise to pit the “haves” and the “have-nots” against each other. They want to give everyone a free ride via “leveling the playing field” and “spreading around the wealth a little”. Gosh that would be great – If only it worked like that.

Free rides come at a cost and those costs are ruinous. Lazy people suffer and the diligent get rich and it has been that way since the days of Solomon and even before and it will remain like that Work hard, live within your means, and prosper.

Proverbs 13:4
The soul of a lazy man desires and has nothing. But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.