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Money Blog Archives
Money Blog posts insightful comments on the latest international news that render us taken-aback in the domain of the money facet of life. Money Blog: Free Money News 1 There’s no such thing as ‘free money’: July 15, 2007 by JOHN E. USALIS
I began writing this column a few weeks ago, so the short state budget “crisis” was not even considered in this week’s topic. In fact, it was being written as a “Wanderin’ Again” column, which runs occasionally in the free weekly “Schuylkill Saturday,” but I thought it would make a good “Wanderin’ Around” column. I hope you agree. And while I’m not planning to dwell on the state budget issue specifically, it does tie into what the government — county, state and federal — does with your hard-earned tax dollars. Money Blog: Free Money News 1 (Continued) What got me interested in this issue again was the recent brouhaha in Ashland and northern Schuylkill County dealing with Ashland Borough Council turning down a PennDOT grant for a pedestrian safety program. The police weren’t happy with the grant stipulations and were not interested in participating as is. Since that June meeting, apparently, Shenandoah police will also not participate, and while I won’t name names, another borough police department may also not get involved. I’m not going to argue the pros and cons of the pedestrian program, and there are both pros and cons. What I will argue is the matter of what priorities government uses to provide funds. Money Blog: Free Money News 1 (Continued) There are two little words that have been part of the pedestrian program issue. They are “free money.” How can a municipality turn down “free money?” That’s shocking! Unheard of! Nobody should turn down anything that’s “free.” But is the money really “free?” Not according to my balance sheet. For people who push a nanny government mentality, the government should supply almost everything, if not everything. But “everything” costs money. And since the government doesn’t operate like a business in creating wealth, it needs to take it from someone who earns money and/or has something that can be taxed. Those taxes in turn are redistributed for whatever project or service government officials deem “important” — at least to them or to a specific group of people. Money Blog: Free Money News 1 (Continued) In recent years, have you noticed that Pennsylvania government doesn’t spend money on this or that? It’s always an “investment” in the future, in our children, in our communities, yadda yadda yadda. It takes the idea that the money the government uses is really your money. “The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public’s money,” said 19th century historian and sociologist Alexis de Tocqueville, who traveled through the United States. And he was right. Not only do elected and appointed government officials use those “investments” to keep the public appeased, the public has learned to expect them. For every $1 we send in taxes to Washington and Harrisburg, too many people think that we should get $1.10 (or more) back. Of course, if everyone in every legislative district in the country uses that criteria, then it’s not hard to realize that those figures don’t add up. That’s the major reason why we have deficits, calls for more taxes or both. Money Blog: Free Money News 1 (Continued) “We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough. We have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much,” said the late President Ronald Reagan. Smart man. That debt is probably loaded with lots and lots of “free money.” And we’re all going to pay for it. Let’s face cold, hard facts. If the government spends it, then it took it from someone’s pocket in taxes, fees or some ingenious way. When your local politician stands with local officials holding a large fake check for $1,000, $10,000, $100,000 or $1 million for a photo op, remember that the money is not free. Where do you get free money? Money Blog: Free Money News 1 (Continued) Here are some possibilities: • You happen to be walking along and you trip over the pot of gold at the end of a leprechaun’s rainbow. Wow! Free money. Well, maybe. Where did the leprechaun get it? If he stole it, it’s somebody else’s gold. If he earned it, then again it’s not exactly free to the person who takes it. Maybe that’s the reason leprechauns are not fond of giving up the pot. • You have a goose that lays golden eggs. Free money? You still have to feed and take care of it. Sure, the cost-to-benefit ratio is pretty good, but it’s obviously still not completely free. • You buy land and find an oil reserve underneath. Or a coal vein. Or a diamond mine. You still have to work to get those things out of the ground, so again, not free. • A money tree would be nice for free money, but it will still cost to place armed guards around it. And if you fall off the ladder picking off the money, the medical bills will remind you that free is a relative term. • You buy a printing press to produce $20 bills. Wait, I think that’s illegal. You’ll definitely pay for that one. Money Blog: Free Money News 1 (Continued) Boy, even free isn’t free! Even Santa Claus won’t bring you presents without being good. Everything costs something, even if it doesn’t come directly from your pocket. “As one digs deeper into the national character of the Americans, one sees that they have sought the value of everything in this world only in the answer to this single question: how much money will it bring in?” de Tocqueville remarked. Government seems to have an insatiable desire to find new ways to tax people and businesses, and even if we’re told it’s a temporary tax, don’t believe it. Up until last year, we were paying a tax on our phone bills that was levied — hold on to your wallets — to pay for the Spanish American War! The war was in 1898! Money Blog: Free Money News 1 (Continued) Of course there are services and projects that the government has the duty to support and fund. However, we have been so brainwashed into thinking that the government should provide money for our own pet interests that nothing is off limits. Again with the pedestrian safety program. Putting up street signs warning drivers about pedestrians crossing streets ahead seems to be a good community action, but do we need government money to teach people how to cross the street? My parents taught me. It cost nothing. Schools can do it without any additional cost. As for senior citizens, does it take a government grant to have someone stand up at a seniors meeting and talk about crossing streets safely? Money Blog: Free Money News 1 (Continued) And no matter what you do, someone will eventually absentmindedly walk into traffic and we can just hope and pray that a driver will be alert enough to stop in time. I had someone walk out in front of my car the other day who was not a senior citizen. He didn’t look both ways. Heck, he didn’t look even one way. It’s all comes down to common sense and personal responsibility, both of which are in short supply at times. “How many times have we heard ‘free tuition,’ ‘free health care’ and ‘free you-name-it’?” said economist and college professor Dr. Walter E. Williams. “If a particular good or service is truly free, we can have as much of it as we want without the sacrifice of other goods or services. Take a ‘free’ library. Is it really free? The answer is no. Had the library not been built, that $50 million could have purchased something else. That something else sacrificed is the cost of the library. While users of the library might pay a zero price, zero price and free are not one and the same. So when politicians talk about providing something free, ask them to identify the beneficent Santa Claus or tooth fairy.” Money Blog: Free Money News 1 (Continued) So, everybody repeat after me: THERE AIN’T NO SUCH THING AS FREE MONEY. THERE AIN’T NO SUCH THING AS FREE MONEY. THERE AIN’T NO SUCH THING AS FREE MONEY. Money Blog Comment: Everyone seems to be out in the world for some easy money! All the more better, if it is fast money too! But the best would be if I could get some free money somewhere, somehow! Have we forgotten there is no free lunch in the universe? I invite you to subscribe to my E-zine titled Life Coach, free of charge. This E-zine publishes insightful comments on the latest international news that render us taken-aback in the domains of various facets of life. A not-to-be-missed opportunity! Subscribe to it here: I also invite you to subscribe to my Life Blog - no need to provide your e-mail address here. This RSS feed keeps you informed about new developments taking place on this site. It also harbors 25 journal bloglets posting insightful comments on the latest international news that render us taken-aback in the domains of various facets of life. In order to subscribe to the blog, right-click on the orange RSS button (see buttons up to the left) and then paste the URL into your RSS reader. Or click on add to My Yahoo! button or My MSN or Add To Google button if you keep a personalized home page there. If you are not sure what RSS or blogging is all about, click on What's an RSS Feed? here:
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