Monday, January 5, 2009

Where's my bailout? Wisconsin, New Jersey, Ohio, Massachusetts and New York

Well, now we know the plan by which our esteemed governor plans to make up the budgeting shortfalls of past decisions come back to haunt us. He's going to ask the Feds to cover them.

That's right, Mr. Doyle, along with the governors of 4 other states is asking the federal government for a bailout. How do you like that Hawaii? How about you Texas? Oklahoma? I can just tell you have all been dying to send your tax dollars to Wisconsin, New Jersey, Ohio, Massachusetts and New York, because we weren't willing to scale down our budgets and live within our means.

I don't think the founders would approve. In fact let's look at what Mr. Jefferson had to say.
"It is not by the consolidation or concentration of powers, but by their distribution that good government is effected. Were not this great country already divided into States, that division must be made that each might do for itself what concerns itself directly and what it can so much better do than a distant authority. Every state again is divided into counties, each to take care of what lies within its local bounds; each county again into townships or wards, to manage minuter details; and every ward into farms, to be governed each by its individual proprietor… It is by this partition of cares descending in gradation from general to particular that the mass of human affairs may be best managed for the good and prosperity of all.”

Mr. Doyle, your job is not to go, hat in hand, to Washington to seek relief, but rather to manage what you have here. My family is feeling the pinch of tough times through our own choices too, but we are doing our best to handle it without resorting to bankruptcy.

I expect leadership from you. It is not Alaska's problem that Wisconsin has eyes bigger than it's stomach and the good citizens of Indiana shouldn't have to pay for our mistakes. Stay here and do what's necessary to make our budget balance. No, it won't be pleasant or make you popular, but that's the price of being introduced as the Governor of Wisconsin. You have brought shame on every citizen of this state by your actions. Shame on you.

"The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender."
~Proverbs 22:7

10 comments:

DR said...

Excellent post. I agree completely. Our governor is definitely an embarrassment to this state.

Dr.D said...

This is truly disgraceful. I was simply appalled when I heard of what has been proposed.

Have these governors even stopped to think for a moment what will happen when the other governors do likewise? Then where will we be?

Only a complete fool can think that they are somehow that exceptional that the nation as a whole should bail them out. Of course, I have to admit, it has worked for an awful lot of others for whom it should not have worked either. Perhaps the only fools are those few of us who sit at our keyboards and fail to prepare bailout proposals!

Call Me Mom said...

I was truly appalled when I read about this in the paper. When I realized that MY state was among those begging for a handout, well, I'm afraid I thought some very uncharitable things about Mr. Doyle.

DR,
If you've a mind to, you may feel free to post it over at The Maritime Sentry. I think you have a larger following than my blog.

Dr.D said...

This is so entirely contrary to the spirit of the people who settled this country, who built it up from nothing to make it a great nation. They were entirely accustomed to the idea that if you needed something, you saved money to get to the point where you could buy it, or better yet, you made it yourself. The last thing they would have ever considered doing was to go ask someone else to simply give it to them when they were not obviously in dire straits.

We have completely lost our sense of honor, our pride in our own accomplishments, our confidence in our own abilities. We think that we must always find someone else to do things for us. We are never able to do things for ourselves anymore. We hear talk these days of "jobs that Americans will not do." I cannot imagine any jobs that Americans should not be willing to do if they need to be done. We need to get over this sort of thinking and get back to the idea of being people who can do for ourselves.

At the same time, we need to expect everyone else to do for themselves as well. This thing cuts both ways. This is not to say that we should not be helpful, but the idea that there should be massive federal disaster aid every time there is a hurricane, etc. is really foolishness. There will be hurricanes, tornadoes, etc. We know that. We all have to live with our choices, and we should not expect the whole country to rush to our aid when nature deals us our hand. It is time we stop being socialist and became independent individuals again, able to stand our our own two feet.

Call Me Mom said...

Well said Dr.D. Where's Horatio Bunce when we need him?
"If you have the right to give to one, you have the right to give to all; and, as the Constitution neither defines charity nor stipulates the amount, you are at liberty to give to any and everything which you may believe, or profess to believe, is a charity, and to any amount you may think proper. You will very easily perceive what a wide door this would open for fraud and corruption and favoritism, on the one hand, and for robbing the people on the other. No, Colonel, Congress has no right to give charity. "

Dr.D said...

What a great quote, Mom! I particularly like that last line:

"You will very easily perceive what a wide door this would open for fraud and corruption and favoritism, on the one hand, and for robbing the people on the other."

You bet they perceive what a wide open door it is for fraud, and they are eager to dash through that door just as fast as their little legs will carry them. Fraud is their middle name, these cheats!

DR said...

I linked to your post; it definitely needs to be read. Normally I don't post on state issues because of my wife's job, but we are extremely active locally in other ways.

Call Me Mom said...

Dr. D. ,
Given the current situation in IL and Mr. Obama's ability to walk out of that squeaky clean, I have zero faith that there won't be some sort of re-payment for any bailout that will cost us more than we may receive.

My grandmother used to say "government help will always cost you more than you get". I have yet to see her proved wrong.

DR,
Thanks for the link. I wouldn't want you to compromise your principles or your wife's job.

Dr.D said...

I think the repayment is going to be the loss of our country, our freedom, and our way of life. They intend to take away everything that has made America what it has been, and substitute a socialist nightmare of shared misery with a few at the top living high. Of course, each of our "leaders" sees himself in that select group at the top. The do not realize just how very small that group will be. The need to look back at Soviet Russia and see how it worked for a lesson there.

Call Me Mom said...

Well, we certainly live in interesting times.