In my mind, as well, I think, as in the minds of the founding fathers, government is like an unruly child that must be watched over every second of the day, lest the entire family come to harm through his mischief. Let's say, for the sake of this illustration, that our unruly child has become a college student and we, his parents, sent our credit card with him to use for certain, very specific expenses or in case of emergencies. This is not money we have, but money we are willing to work in the future to provide for those specific expenses. He was fairly responsible at first. After a few blips here and there, we have gone on with our lives and not paid much attention to the totals on the credit card statement.
We have just received a bill for several trillion dollars. The extra zeros caught our attention. We thought "how could that possibly be correct?" After checking with the company, we have been assured that it is indeed correct. Our unruly child, bereft of our close attention, has been behaving badly. He seems to have decided that, since we are(or were)the richest family on the block and since he has a credit card that seems to have no limit, there's no reason he shouldn't help others as well as himself. In fact it looks as though our unruly child has decided that he can provide for the entire world...as long as he has our credit card. He seems to believe that it is his duty to do so, since he has the means...our credit card. He has purchased houses, food and medicine for his friends, his friend's relatives and strangers. He has even allowed thieves to come into our home and take our things for themselves. These thieves are not required to follow our rules, but we are supposed to treat them as honored guests no matter how they behave because our child thinks they will return his generosity with a like measure of their own.
We have invited our unruly child to a tea party to explain the consequences of his actions.
- He has put us so far into debt that we will never be able to retire and he must pay for the debt for his entire life as well. We are no longer the richest family on the block.
- He is on the verge of causing our grandchildren to be in debt for their entire lives as well. This is immoral and unacceptable.
- He has denied his fellows the satisfaction of paying their own way and possibly crippled them permanently in so doing.
- He has usurped the responsibility of other families/communities to care for their own. This is detrimental to the character of those families/communities.
- Thieves will not repay you for allowing them to steal from you except by stealing from you again. It is the height of foolishness to expect otherwise.
- He has placed us in a situation where, at any time, our creditors may call our debt due and take everything we have. Then, not having met our debt obligations through our property, our creditors will be allowed to sell us into slavery to satisfy that debt. We hope that we have been a good enough customer that they will be willing to allow us the time to work to pay off those debts. (Unfortunately, our child is currently engaged in telling them what horrible people we are.)
We understand the humanitarian impulses and even the power trip that spending all that money gave our child and we're willing to work to pay it off. We, after all, gave our child the card and did not keep a close eye on it's use. We are responsible for these debts, but there can be no more spending.
If he agrees, he must live under our rules until we have a handle on this mess. The credit card will be closed. Any extraneous assets must be sold. Any payments he is making for expenses besides those we approved at the outset must be stopped. His friends(who are now his dependents) must be allowed to pay their own way. We can work to ease that transition for them, but there must be a transition, we have no other options. There is no more money. The thieves will be arrested and removed from our home to face justice.
Much of America is at the point of saying that if our unruly child will not follow our rules, he is free to go and live on his own, but without our support or our credit card. That anyone who continues to lend to him based on the expectation of our paying it back does so at their own risk.
That is what the tea party movement is about and the tenth amendment movement as well. We the People are attempting to once again exercise our authority over this government.
"Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.
And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.
But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.
And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. " ~ Matt 18:23-30
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