Thursday, November 08, 2012

Paying Santa Claus

When Cody was 5 years old, he got a bicycle for Christmas.

Sometime after that, I was fussing at him for not taking what I considered to be proper care of it.  I don't even remember what he was doing, but I do remember getting on to him about it.

"I paid too much money for that bike,"  I said, "for you to be tearing it up like that!"

"No, Mama,"  Cody replied.  "Santa Claus brought me that bike."

Knowing I had been caught, in a moment of panic, I blurted out the first thing that came to my mind. 

"And who do you think paid Santa Clause for that bike?  He doesn't bring stuff for free.  Parents have to pay for it."

Crestfallen, Cody said, "But I thought he made the toys in his workshop."

"He does, honey,"  I told him.  "But it costs money to make toys.  He's got to pay for the stuff to make them out of.  He's got to buy tools and things to make them with.  He's got to feed his elves, and pay to keep the lights and heat on.  He can't afford to make all those toys if parents don't pay for them, so we have to send him money for the stuff he brings.'

My little man seemed satisfied with that answer, and I breathed a sigh of relief that I'd gotten away with that little slip.  Better still, he learned a valuable lesson that I hope has stayed -- at least in part-- with him to this day.  That nothing is free.  Somebody has got to pay for everything.  That is a lesson that the electorate of this country have yet to learn.

Yesterday, I think Rush Limbaugh said it best.

"In a nation of children, when you give them a choice between work and Santa Claus, they are going to vote for Santa Claus."

This nation of children voted for Santa Claus.  Heck, they committed FELONIES to vote for Santa Claus.  The problem is, Santa Claus doesn't bring stuff for free. Somebody's got to pay for what he brings.

Half of Americans have been living in Christmas morning for far too long.  Soon the bill for their holiday will come due.  Where is that money going to come from?

Standard & Poor has downgraded our credit rating twice in the last two years.  China won't loan us any more money, because we're now considered a bad risk.  We can't tax the rich, because even if we stripped every penny from every person in the country, we couldn't even fund the government's bloated appetite for one year, and that wouldn't leave any thing left for the future.

This nation has a $16 Trillion debt.  In four years, that debt will exceed $20 trillion.  That amount of debt is simply unsustainable.  Add to that the looming threat of Obamacare, and this economy will not sustain itself.  It cannot sustain itself.

The hard truth is, our economy will collapse.  There is no stopping it now.  It is inevitable. 

The only question is, when the money is all gone, and China calls its loan, and we are a nation brought to our knees, who do you think will pay for your Obamaphone then? 

2 comments:

Bag Blog said...

I got my hat. It is great. Now I need to get your painting.

I don't want to discuss politics and policies - not that you haven't said some good things, I'm don't want to go there right now.

Patti said...

Good explanation about Santa Clause, Becky, esp. to your kiddo; pretty sure he "gets it" now as a young adult, which is better than the ostriches who Hope it'll get better on its own (it won't).

"Who will pay" the bill? My guess is "anyone but the one who incurred the debt"

The collapse of our economy is deliberate, and it has been planned and slowly executed for at least one, closer to two or three generations now: research "Cloward-Piven" unless all traces of it have been "mysteriously" scrubbed by now...)

If Mr. Obma (D) did indeed "inherit a mess," he had 4 years -- two of those with a Congress from his own party -- to make it better or at least show an improvement. But the economy today is definitely worse, and he owns it. But hey, I guess his skin color is more important.