The Landlord's Coming

I got the great honor of hearing Karl Rove speak at Matt's KLA Convention last night.  He gave an incredible, powerful, lengthy address to the group, and pretty much confirmed what we all already know--that our nation is going to hell in a hand basket woven by the Chinese (among other countries to whom we've sold the farm).  We're basically on our way to becoming the next Greece (though beautiful, it isn't really much of a nation anymore, and has a great deal of problems and financial hardships now).  Although it was great to hear him speak and meet him in person, I am feeling pretty discouraged today for my daughter and my future grandchildren (just as I was on Nov. 3).  Kind of a lot to take in when it comes directly from such a credible source.  Funny how you can read the newspaper, watch the news, and hear the same things, but when it comes to you in person via a former Chief of Staff to a president, it soaks in much more harshly and truthfully.  (My husband would argue that I get just as upset after watching, "Fox News," for any length of time)! 

I am utterly convinced that the majority of Americans are totally clueless as to our real financial situation.  Our government is basically check kiting and giving entitlements to people with money we don't have.  It doesn't matter what political party you fall under, everyone knows that when you don't have the money, you don't spend it, regardless of your goodwill, the desire, or the "need."  I'd like to be able to buy my son-in-law and daughter their first home, and I'm sure it would help them out a great deal since they are just starting out in their life together.  But I'm sure not going to go give them all my money so that then they have the burden of caring for me in my old age OR worse, take out a loan to do it (and then, not even consider how in the heck I'd pay it back)!  It's just not common sense to spend or give anyone anything if the money isn't there.  Our government is currently "robbing Peter to pay Paul," and if it continues, in Mr. Rove's words, "we're going to fall off the fiscal cliff very soon" (and to add insult to severe injury, our creditors don't exactly love us).

So what do we do?  What hope do we have?  First, we pray--a lot.  You may think that sounds silly or trite, but I believe in the power of prayer.  Look at Israel--they are a nation the size of postage stamp and God has protected them from being utterly blown off the map for decades.  Secondly, we VOTE (less than half of registered voters in the nation who profess to be "Christians" voted in the previous election).  You sure can't complain about our nation if you aren't getting off your duff and voting (and Christians like to complain A LOT about how bad things are in our country.  I AM a Christian, but I vote, so I get to complain)!  At this point in the game, we need to elect people into office who possess honest fiscal sense, seriously workable job growth ideas, and financial problem solving abilities (regardless of their religion, their stance on social issues, or whether you like them as a person or not--if we lose our country because we can't pay our bills, it isn't gonna matter what your social beliefs are OR what your religious faith is)!  Everyone is going to have to see this and give a little or we're sunk.  And BTW, I admit I am a registered Republican, but only so I can vote in primaries.  In actuality, I am a Libertarian, so this rant isn't about party whatsoever--in fact, I've never been more ticked-off at The Republican Party in my life (and my husband would say I lean more left on the "bleeding heart" issues than I care to admit)!  But that's another blog post.  I've also never been more aware of what an incredibly gifted leader Bill Clinton was--a Democrat who helped the needy AND balanced the budget.  Wow.  He was almost anointed (okay, I realize I'm taking that a little far). 

But seriously, this rant of mine is about me being worried for the first time in my adult life that my country won't always be the country I've known--that it could actually be taken away from all of us.  That all the lives (and there have been some) that have been lost in the name of liberty and freedom could be lost in vain.  I've never really thought before now about the fact that our Constitution and Bill of Rights are just pieces of paper.  Yes, they are in "locked-down," cases of preservation in the National Archives, but it indirectly takes money to keep them there.  It also takes money to defend them.  They aren't invincible.  So all else aside, we have to vote in the years to come with this one truth in mind.  Sadly, as always seems to be the case, it all comes down to money--and our voting over the next 50 years needs to show that we realize this and the seriousness of our current situation.  There is too much at stake, and we have to get over the idea that we can give to anyone and everyone with money we don't actually have.  We have to seriously view our government's bank account just as we do our own personal one (or at least, how most of us do).  We have to stop viewing the government as an endless pocketbook of entitlements.  We've basically been at war for over 11 years now, and honestly, we're going to be reeling from that alone for quite a while.  It doesn't matter how big your heart is if your brain is on vacation--if we don't have it to give, we can't give it!  The end result of doing so is that the needy end up in worse shape when it all goes belly up anyway.  If we lose our nation to another country who has had it with carrying our debt load, we all go broke.  We are an utter joke to these nations to whom we owe.  They don't even want our dollars anymore and are currently unloading them at a record rate.  And now, four more years of unprecedented, extreme spending...ay yai yai...

Karl Rove has a great article in the WSJ this morning--give it a read.  He is a great patriot and his personal story is one of the "American kind"--he didn't come from much and ended up working in the White House! And give our nation a prayer, too:  "Please dear God, help and protect our country.  And help us to get off our rumps and vote as informed, concerned citizens who love this nation and who are not being blind-sided to the realities we are facing.  Amen."