Well, sequestration is about to happen. This is about the dumbest way possible to address the federal government’s budget. Nonetheless, it’s coming. The president proposed it and Republicans and Democrats signed up for it. Everyone said that it couldn’t happen because it was such a bad idea they would never let themselves carry the requirement they placed on themselves. How’s that for circular logic. That’s like saying I know I’m stupid but I cannot be so stupid as to do something dumb that I obligate myself to do because the idea is too stupid. Now we’re going to do it anyway because our leaders are just that stupid.

On the positive side, we will reduce the budget. Sequestration is a bad way to accomplish the task but reductions will occur. Some of the promised catastrophes are clear indicators that the federal government is out of control. I heard the president exclaim that teachers and first responders will lose their jobs. If that is true, then the reach of the federal government truly is too wide. Based on my read of the Constitution funding teachers and first responders should not be the federal government’s business. We have allowed the federal government to involve itself much too much in our daily lives and in our local activities. States and communities should be funding teachers and first responders.

As a nation, we are spending too much money. Taxes are not the answer because we cannot tax high enough to solve the problem. The focus must be on encouraging businesses to grow. We must reduce the inducements not to work while simultaneously working to improve the economy so that jobs exist for people to take. Some people must also take jobs that they may not want to take. Earning a living must be a requirement. We cannot afford to guarantee a good life for someone if they are able to work and then choose not to work. If a person can make more money working the welfare system than they can by working a job, something is wrong. We also must use government support to encourage positive behavior, not bad behavior. Paying people government subsidies for having more children is counterproductive to the moral and economic welfare of the citizenry. Rewarding bad behavior is just plain stupid. Jobs do not pay more money for having more children. No government program should either.

There is much work to be done to right the ship of state. We must elect leaders with the wisdom and courage to make hard decisions. We also must demand that the stupidity stop. Our leaders are not serving us very well yet we continue to elect them. Sometimes we are our own worst enemy.