I know that blogs are supposed to be fun and cheery, but even though this is a more serious subject, I hope you take a second to consider the following...
Recently I've been talking a lot about politics with my friend Aubrey Stewart and I thought I'd write out a few things to get them off my chest. I think it's very important that people get involved in politics and have a voice, because as Sean Penn expressed in the movie All The Kings Men, "If you don't vote, you don't matter!". I live in America and I'm darn proud of it! The PEOPLE of this country shape it's future. I know that one little vote seems like such a little piece of the pie, but it is so important! In a 1971 New Era article, D. James Cannon tell us, "There are three reasons why you should vote now and every time: (1) Every vote counts. (2) Every election is important. (3) The Lord has reminded you of your responsibility for “the good and safety of society.” For this complete article (it's a good one) follow this link: http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=024644f8f206c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=802918e7c379b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1
With the election coming up I really hope everyone takes a stand for what they believe in. Yes, I am a conservative and I have strong opinions about a lot of things, but I still respect other's point of view and I think it's everyone's duty as an American citizen to figure out what they support and believe in... and fight for it! If anyone's unclear about what the candidates believe in, check out their websites:
http://www.johnmccain.com/ (pick me, pick me!) hahaha, j/k... but not really.
http://www.barackobama.com/index.php
I recently read about a "$700 billion economic bailout plan" that lawmakers are considering, which involves increasing America's national debt. At first I thought, hmmmm... what do I care about the national debt... as long as it helps this economy? Are they just printing more money??... So What? Then I did a little research to really find out how the national debt affects me. I hope you find this as interesting as I did... (And maybe I look like an idiot because I didn't already know this, but hey, I'm young and I'm learning.)
"How does the national debt affect the individual?
The U.S. national debt is the amount of money owed by the United States federal government. This does not include the money owed by states, corporations, or individuals. The national debt is over 8.1 trillion dollars. That puts each citizens share of that debt to over $27,000. The National Debt has continued to increase an average of $2.28 billion per day since September 30, 2005. U.S. Public debt is more than ten times the amount of United States currency in circulation as of 2005, estimated to be $730 billion.
So, how does this affect us as individuals?
Approximately 18 cents out of every dollar of total tax revenue collected is immediately used merely to pay the burgeoning interest on the Federal debt. Thus, absolutely no governmental services or benefits are delivered in return for 18 percent (nearly 1 out of every 5 dollars) of our total Federal tax bill.
The interest we all must pay on the national debt represents a “debt tax” that can never be repealed as long as the debt remains at its current levels. The debt tax will consume larger portions of our money as government spending continues to increase.
These are substantial funds that could most prudently be re-invested in the growth of our own businesses, but must be shoveled out instead simply to service the interest payments to the world of strangers who hold these obligations of the Treasury of the United States.
While some of the recipients of these interest payments may recycle these funds into the purchase of domestic goods and services, much of the Federal debt is held by foreigners.
The national debt drains substantial funds out of the business that could otherwise be invested in job creation and entrepreneurial expansion. It also drains substantial funds out of consumers’ pockets that could otherwise be available for the acquisition of goods and services. And this burden inevitably impedes the growth and prosperity of the economy. - 2006"
Today my friend posted about her political frustrations on her blog and I really liked what she had to say and I'd really like to share it with my family and friends:
http://aubreyandmarkstewart.blogspot.com/2008/09/warning-political-venting.html
Well, I hope you found this post interesting and sorry if you didn't... don't worry, I'll be posting about vacations and our goofy little adventures again soon. :)
Recently I've been talking a lot about politics with my friend Aubrey Stewart and I thought I'd write out a few things to get them off my chest. I think it's very important that people get involved in politics and have a voice, because as Sean Penn expressed in the movie All The Kings Men, "If you don't vote, you don't matter!". I live in America and I'm darn proud of it! The PEOPLE of this country shape it's future. I know that one little vote seems like such a little piece of the pie, but it is so important! In a 1971 New Era article, D. James Cannon tell us, "There are three reasons why you should vote now and every time: (1) Every vote counts. (2) Every election is important. (3) The Lord has reminded you of your responsibility for “the good and safety of society.” For this complete article (it's a good one) follow this link: http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=024644f8f206c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=802918e7c379b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1
With the election coming up I really hope everyone takes a stand for what they believe in. Yes, I am a conservative and I have strong opinions about a lot of things, but I still respect other's point of view and I think it's everyone's duty as an American citizen to figure out what they support and believe in... and fight for it! If anyone's unclear about what the candidates believe in, check out their websites:
http://www.johnmccain.com/ (pick me, pick me!) hahaha, j/k... but not really.
http://www.barackobama.com/index.php
I recently read about a "$700 billion economic bailout plan" that lawmakers are considering, which involves increasing America's national debt. At first I thought, hmmmm... what do I care about the national debt... as long as it helps this economy? Are they just printing more money??... So What? Then I did a little research to really find out how the national debt affects me. I hope you find this as interesting as I did... (And maybe I look like an idiot because I didn't already know this, but hey, I'm young and I'm learning.)
"How does the national debt affect the individual?
The U.S. national debt is the amount of money owed by the United States federal government. This does not include the money owed by states, corporations, or individuals. The national debt is over 8.1 trillion dollars. That puts each citizens share of that debt to over $27,000. The National Debt has continued to increase an average of $2.28 billion per day since September 30, 2005. U.S. Public debt is more than ten times the amount of United States currency in circulation as of 2005, estimated to be $730 billion.
So, how does this affect us as individuals?
Approximately 18 cents out of every dollar of total tax revenue collected is immediately used merely to pay the burgeoning interest on the Federal debt. Thus, absolutely no governmental services or benefits are delivered in return for 18 percent (nearly 1 out of every 5 dollars) of our total Federal tax bill.
The interest we all must pay on the national debt represents a “debt tax” that can never be repealed as long as the debt remains at its current levels. The debt tax will consume larger portions of our money as government spending continues to increase.
These are substantial funds that could most prudently be re-invested in the growth of our own businesses, but must be shoveled out instead simply to service the interest payments to the world of strangers who hold these obligations of the Treasury of the United States.
While some of the recipients of these interest payments may recycle these funds into the purchase of domestic goods and services, much of the Federal debt is held by foreigners.
The national debt drains substantial funds out of the business that could otherwise be invested in job creation and entrepreneurial expansion. It also drains substantial funds out of consumers’ pockets that could otherwise be available for the acquisition of goods and services. And this burden inevitably impedes the growth and prosperity of the economy. - 2006"
Today my friend posted about her political frustrations on her blog and I really liked what she had to say and I'd really like to share it with my family and friends:
http://aubreyandmarkstewart.blogspot.com/2008/09/warning-political-venting.html
Well, I hope you found this post interesting and sorry if you didn't... don't worry, I'll be posting about vacations and our goofy little adventures again soon. :)
7 comments:
Very well said Kim. I really believe that people need to take a stand for what they believe in and I love that instead of just ranting like I do, you give a lot of links and information so everyone can educate themselves :)
I could not agree with your post and aubrey's post more. I don't want to end up footing the bill for Wall Street and Washington's mistakes, but I understand that our country literally would collapse if nothing was done. I think these Wall Street Execs should have to foot half the bill. I'm sure they have lovely pensions and one I know of has a $14 million NYC condo. I think he should be forced to sell it and hand over the profit to the government.
Wow, thanks Kim. I have been thinking a lot about this kind of thing too, and I'm glad you shared your ideas. I am still learning too so the explanation about the bailout and national debt helped me!
P.S. Cute Halloween page!
Very true. You're a smart cookie. Glad you posted this. I thought last night about posting re: the economy. It's easy to get down with everything that's happening. It is truly scary! But, we must keep moving forward. Worrying will not help. What we can do is better focus on doing what the prophet tells us and remember to count our blessings everyday.
It's all overwhelming. I think the election and the economy is finally pushing me into a more adult role . We can't ignore the problems, or just let other people worry and fix them. This life is all about choices. Our choice brought us here to earth, and all of our choices we make here matter tremendously!
Hi Kim! I just found your blog and thought this post was kind of ironic because I happened to be going through my picture box a couple days ago and found pictures of you, me and Brittany (when you were roommates?) from 4 years ago. It was on election day, and we were all wearing red, white and blue and waiting for the results of the election. The pictures made me laugh, but I agree with you that voting is important :)
I'm voting for Palin because she has a down syndrome kid. And because she says "nucular" instead of "nuclear."
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