Take It to the Limit One More Time

The political world has not offered much interesting in the way of blogable material lately. The debt ceiling issues has been dominant. While I know such an issue has to be the main focus of news, I cannot help but have the realistic perspective that we have already reached the tipping point with our spending. Whether we take the most conservative idea possible to reduce the debt or throw caution to the wind and barral forward, we are in so deep, it does not really matter.

I had a friend who took a job with one of those semi-legitimate debt consolidation firms right out of college. Do not major in a liberal arts subject unless you want to go to graduate school kids, or you will be hired by one, as well. These firms are the types that consolidate a client’s debt into one, regularly paid sum plus a hefty interest. Such places are a trap for virtually everyone who walks through the door.

Two kinds of people walk through those doors anyway. One is the kind who fills out every single credit card application they get in the mail regardless of the exorbitant interest rate and maxes it out on frivolous items the moment the card arrives. Two, those who will go to Wal-Mart and put a $3,000 lawn mower on their credit card because they have a high limit for which they have never missed a payment. . The former have no concept that credit means you have to pay later. The former have no idea their resources can be maxed out. Neither of them is going to get out of the whole they have dug even if the reality of what their spending habits have done is made clear to them.

Whichever perspective you want to take on government spending, our country is in the same boat. Whether you believe we will never have to honestly pay off any amount we have borrowed or assumed the resources will always be there, it does not really matter. Any solution to the problem is only going to be small steps on an incompletely journey.

My friend quit his job at the debt consolidation firm to become a teacher shortly after being hired as a matter of conscience. He did not want to be a party to cheating people while giving them false hope their financial situations could be repaired. I am not eager in doing so, either. There, I have nothing to contribute to the discussion of what ought to be done regarding the debt.