I have never expected them to see to it that I have a job…or health care benefits…or to loan me money when I need it.

I’ll admit there was a financially tough time in my life when I used the “WIC” program. While I appreciated it for a short time, never once did I EXPECT  government to take care of me.  When we qualified for a FHA mortgage and took advantage of it, we never EXPECTED government to have such a program. Whenever I needed a job, I got out there and found one! If my husband lost his job today, we would not EXPECT government to reimburse him, or to “find” him another job!

Let’s blow the cobwebs off our brains for a minute: Way back in American History class, didn’t we learn what our government’s job is? Didn’t we learn that what we should expect from our elected officials in Washington is to keep our borders and our liberties safe,  and to empower each state to exercise it’s own right to govern it’s own people? That’s what it is.

So where did this new ideology come from? You know, the one that some Americans are demanding today: That government “better do something” to fix the unemployment rate; or that they want government to provide our health care benefits? Our Constitution never said that was their job!

Pursuing the “American Dream” is what’s brought millions of immigrants to America since the days of Columbus. We want to work the job of our choice. We want to make as much money as we can;  And we want to spend and invest it as we see fit.  We want to invent things. We want to run our own businesses. We want to choose the education best for our own children.  These are the liberties we expect our government to protect, and not to interfere with!

How do we combat that mentality? Can we admit that government acting like a big “sugar daddy to the rescue” is not best for our country in the long run? 

Sure. Take a look at how they’ve handled our Social Security money (they’ve squandered it all away) Or, consider how good they’re  managing our public schools  (add up the amount of money they dump into each one, and compare it to the graduation rates and levels of illeratacy in America.) How then, could you trust them to find you a job? Or provide your health care?

Do you really want government involved so intimately in your life? I sure don’t!

~Sandra

What do you expect? is a post from: Christian Women Blogging - Women By Grace

While government has it’s rightful place, the strength of America comes from it’s people.

Our government should tend only to the business it was created to do, which is to

• Promote justice
• Punish injustice
• Protect our rights
• Protect the ability of states and other social institutions to exercise their own authority

If we grow our government bigger and bigger to form more committees and design more programs all in an effort to “fix” America, we actually hinder what Americans have the right to do (and are truly capable of doing) for ourselves and each other! Dependence on government can only weaken us, it will never strengthen us. Government needs to get our of the way, and let Americans do what Americans do best: work, create, invent and prosper.

The solutions to our sluggish economy lie in empowering individual citizens to work, earn, save and spend our own money, not in looking to our government to “bail” us out! We don’t need government handling our money for us! That will never fix anything! (They haven’t proven themselves capable of doing so anyways – just look at how they “handle” our Social Security funds!)

Government must stop accumulating any further debt (and laying resultant tax burdens) on us.

These “bailouts” are disastrous, and must stop immediately. Where do we get all that money from, and how do we pay it back? What good can debt and borrowing from other countries possibly afford us? I for sure, don’t like being indebted to other countries – especially those who don’t have our best interests at heart. What lessons do our bailed-out companies learn in the meantime, and how will the problems (that caused these messes) ever be changed?

Government must be fiscally responsible with the tax money we pay them. Like any household on a budget, our state and federal governments should also have to live within their means. They must find ways to cut corners, pinch pennies, and downsize anywhere they can. And we should hold them accountable to it! A handful of governors, such as Mitch Daniels (R-Indiana) and Sarah Palin (R-Alaska) have worked hard to prove it can be done in their states; Why can’t the others?

We need to strengthen America from the inside out.

• To strengthen our economy, we must allow citizens to earn our own wages, and exercise our freedoms to save, spend and invest as we see fit. We don’t need government to do this for us! One of the foundational ways America prospers is due to the hard work and ingenuity of it’s citizens. The “capitalistic spirit” is one of our great constitutional privileges. We have the right to pursue jobs, to own businesses in the fields of our choice, and we have the right to be successful at earning (and keeping our) money.
• To strengthen our population, we need to stop killing ourselves. Every day we kill approximately how many American citizens before they even have the chance to leave their mother’s wombs? Abortion is murder, and should be outlawed everywhere. What other great country kills it’s own like we do?
• To strengthen America we also need to strengthen our military. Cutting corners here (expect for any wasteful spending) is never a safe or prudent idea.
• We also must do a better job of taking care of our Veterans. Medical care and benefits for our Veterans should be state-of-the-art and excellent.
• Securing our borders is a must.
• Illegal immigration must stop.
• America should not be struggling to “keep up” in our changing world. Our citizens should receive the best educations and be the most highly-trained in the world. Our entire educational system needs serious improvement, and it starts by allowing parents to decide where and how their own children will be educated. Our government has no business trying to decide that for us! Decades of our government designing more programs, building bigger buildings and throwing more money at public schools has not raised our test scores, or our percentages of high school graduates. (This shows yet another example of how ineffective government is at “fixing” our problems!)

A quick review of history reminds us how tenacious our American forefathers were. Men and women have worked hard and persevered through challenges and tough times since the days of the Pilgrims. That spirit hasn’t changed! Americans still have dreams and goals. We still work hard. We are still willing to sacrifice for what we believe in. Oh, that spirit might need to be revived in some of us. It needs to be instilled in our children. Some of us need to brush up on history to remember what our Constitution says, and what U.S. government is really supposed to be. We need to encourage each other.

Let’s not look to government to lead us in this. Let’s lead our government! If every one of us decides today to do our part to strengthen America – starting in our own homes, imagine what we could accomplish! That strength would flow from our homes into grass-roots operations in our communities; which would then affect our states. As states are strengthened, so is our Union. What if we banned together and forced our elected officials to behave responsibly? What if we showed by our words and our actions that we’re serious about turning this country back into the great nation it has always been?

I’m not alone in my opinions, many Americans believe this way! We’ve just been too quiet about it for too long! But now when some of our liberties are in jeopardy and government has saddled us, our children and grandchildren with more debt than we’ve ever known, can we admit that our federal government has gotten too big for it’s britches? Can we admit they’ve stepped over some lines where they don’t belong? Isn’t it time we let our voices be heard?

“Well,” you ask, “What can I do? What difference would it make anyways?” I would suggest doing your homework first: Familiarize yourself with our nation’s most important document, the Constitution. (If you don’t have one in your home, call the Heritage Foundation for a free copy: 1-800-544-4843.) Brush up on our American History. Then gather your family, friends and neighbors together to see what you can do to make a difference. Every community holds numerous opportunities:

• get involved in your school;
• join the school board, city council or county commissioners team;
• volunteer at the crisis pregnancy center;
• work with your church to start an adoption agency; food bank or soup kitchen;
• support our military with words and deeds;
• help a struggling family or a single mother to get up on their feet;
• learn who your local and state officials are, and keep an eye on what they’re doing; support their efforts, and let them know (respectfully) when you don’t agree with them;
• have friendly discussions with coworkers, family and friends about the advantages of citizens getting involved, and of the dangers of big, interfering government.

If you agree with me, you may also appreciate the efforts of:

• The Heritage Foundation @ www.heritage.org or www.askheritage.org
• Focus on the Family @ www.focusonthefamily.com
• Sean Hannity @ www.hannity.com

Let’s strengthen America from the inside out!

My Economic Plan for America is a post from: Christian Women Blogging - Women By Grace