What can you do to help fix our National Debt?

i know , i know another political post. yada yada...blah blah

but instead of just whining about the problem i've gathered some ideas on how we can come together and try to resolve the problem. just give me a few minutes. i'm not going to tell you who to vote for, i promise. i just want you to be informed on this issue.

so you've heard it before but for most of us (myself included) it doesn't quite sink in because there are just too many zero's to put it in perspective. let me help. there are 300+ million of us peeps here in america. if we were to split up the 9 trillion dollar deficit it would be like giving each person $32,000. sweet right? not really, think of it this way. each person is in debt 32,000 dollars on top of whatever credit card, car payment or mortgage you have already the National Debt has continued to increase an average of 1.93 billion per day. and you thought britney was a power shopper. pretty discouraging huh. lets see what the government is doing about it now.


(you couldn't see it but there is a blank paragraph above this line. it's a blurb of nothing. oh wait, i should have written something about raising taxes to pay for war spending. doh!)

An increasing amount of the money you pay in taxes goes to pay for the interest on this debt (currently about 18%) and not to pay for roads, schools, and healthcare. I could talk about where the money is going but i'll restrain myself. the military. sorry.

Unless changes are made more of your money must be harvested through taxes to pay for it all, either now or in the future.

and now the part you've all been waiting for. drum roll please......

1) Educate Yourself
Learn about the problem, make up your own mind about the gravity of the situation, for it's the only way to spark action and involvement.

2) Lead by Example
Don't follow the example of the federal government and spend more than you earn. If you don't have the money, don't buy it. What do you do with all that money that's not being spent on stuff you can't afford? Save it. It seems simple but for many reasons it is a huge challenge. Start with yourself and your family. for some of us this is a lot to ask. if you need detailed instruction i recommend you listen to "Transforming Debt to Wealth" by John Cummuta.
Don't run to wal-mart every time you need something. ask your family & friends chances are you can use theirs. Thrift stores aren't that scary either, sometimes a little smelly but really, set aside your ego for a bit and buy used. and lastly, remember if it's too good to be true it probably is. for all of us who got sucked into the greedy mortgage loan scam mark it as a lesson learned and next time research what it is you are doing before you do it.
moving on....

3) Vote
Your most powerful tool to make big change is who you select to set the direction of this country and make decisions on your behalf. Just as important is holding them to it. If they aren't doing the job, kick them out. Even if you don't believe in government or don't foresee change in hierarchical leadership sometimes you have to sacrifice for the greater good. Baby steps can get you to the finish line too.

4)Talk about it.
Regardless of your view, discuss the issue. Talk to your parents. Talk to your spouse. Post a blog. Forward this email. Get people to think. The greatest error politicians, leaders, you, and I can commit is idle ignorance.

Know that it is not too big of an issue to solve and there is something you can do about it. Bad ideas and a lack of action got us in, better ideas and action can get us out.



*special thanks to spilling buckets and the hamsters running around in my head for some good information