Skip to content

Random Thoughts on the October Crisis

Government Shutdown

George Orwell, a person who knew something about Doublespeak, once said “In our time, political speech and writing are largely the defense of the indefensible.”

I was reminded of this quote when I learned that the government shutdown only applied to about 15% of the federal workforce, including military personnel. One would think that “shutdown” means “to cease operation” especially when the term has been so widely used by the media and politicians from both parties who have been fast and loose with their Doublespeak.

Do you remember when our Presidents used to say, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself” or “It’s morning again in America” rather than “I won the election so I don’t have to compromise?”

Debt Ceiling

If the debt ceiling isn’t raised by October 17th, the federal government will have just $30 billion on hand. They spend $60 billion per day.

Among the many dire things that are predicted to happen if the ceiling isn’t raised, the possible disruption of Social Security payments is the most curious.

If payments are disrupted, many people will be surprised to learn that our government is using the current flow from FICA taxes to pay for other programs while issuing debt to pay benefits. In fact, 32% of our current national debt is attributed to this practice.

46% of our national debt is owned by foreign governments with China owning about 8%.

The remaining debt is owned by American individuals, corporations, state and local governments.

The People’s House

The US House of Representatives was designed to represent the people and act as a “check and balance” to the Senate and President. It appears to be working as intended.

Whether or not you feel that our Representatives are holding the government hostage or acting in a prudent manner, one thing is certain: they are drawing attention to a government whose spending habits have become criminally negligent.