Shouldn’t it be obvious that our federal government is both taxing and spending too much?
We are running more than $1.4 trillion in the red in our current $3.55 trillion U.S. budget, after all.
We fortunately live in a wonderful democratic republic, in which we get to make lots of governmental decisions by choosing the public officials who make specific decisions.
So a lot of what happens is “up to us,” isn’t it?
If we like everything we are doing, including our levels of taxing and spending, we can freely vote to keep all of the current officials who are doing what they are doing.
But if we want change, we also have the right to elect officials who will promote policies in accordance with what the majority of the American people would like to see done.
Isn’t that wonderful?
We should not expect perfection in government because we are not perfect in making our choices, and our candidates are not perfect in their policies, performance and decisions.
But ultimately, the big decisions are within our power to make or at least to influence.
This November, one-third of the U.S. Senate will be up for election for six-year terms, and all of the 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives will be up for grabs for two-year terms. In November 2012, that process will repeat, and we will also pick a president for a four-year term.
Do you have in mind the one you want for president in 2012 and the ones you want in Congress in both 2010 and 2012?
Do you think it is “too early” to begin to consider the kind of leaders we prefer?
Time flies! Those who aspire to be elected this year or two years from now will be dependent upon our support and approval.
Hadn’t we better begin to think seriously about the kind of people who should be running, what they believe in and propose to do, and the kind of people we want to represent “us”?
These will be big decisions with big effects on us all.