Give change a chance
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In My Humble Opinion
Jodi McDade
Change is always a difficult thing to experience. But we face it in some form almost every day.
It can be something as small as our preferred brand at the grocery store not being available and having to choose another one. Or something very personal, like a doctor we have been going to for years deciding to retire and we have to find another doctor. Or something huge like the death of a loved one who cannot be replaced. As challenging as change is we will all experience it no matter what we do.
Right now we are facing major changes in our government because of the election last year. The people spoke, and new leaders were elected. We have to accept that change just like we did in 2020 when there was also a change in leadership.
The 2024 election was not close, but it has caused major division in our country with the changes that it brought. Obviously the majority of people in our Constitutional Republic wanted major change in how our government operates. Regardless of which side of the election we were on, it’s now time to give the new administration an opportunity to make the changes that it ran on. If after four years the majority is not happy, they can vote in the next election to roll back the recent changes – just like is happening right now.
It’s difficult for me to understand why we have citizens so upset over trying to bring prices down by reopening our oil and gas industries that the last administration closed down. That change caused us to have to buy oil and gas from countries who were not our friends, for more money, and to receive a much less quality product. Bottom line is that the oil and gas industries are DIRECTLY related to the cost of all other products and goods.
Goods on store shelves are shipped in by planes, trains, trucks, and ships – all fueled by oil and gas products! The prices of these goods on the shelves are partially determined by how much it costs to get them to the store. The higher the cost of fuel, the higher the cost of goods. The lower the cost of fuel, the lower cost of goods. If you eat out much you have experienced the increased prices on the menu because of the increased cost of goods and increased wages to keep employees.
Companies are not in business as charitable organizations. They are in business to make a profit for their owners and operators who have made financial investments in them. They employ and pay employees, pay taxes, pay benefits, and most make a much lower rate of return than anyone realizes. If the companies are not able to make a reasonable profit they will close down, let the employees go, stop paying taxes and benefits.
Just look at all the retail businesses – stores and restaurants, etc. – that closed because of COVID-19 because they could not make enough profit to stay open. Unfortunately, most of these were owned by small business owners who had invested their lives in the businesses. Ninety-nine percent of businesses in the United States are owned by small business owners – NOT billionaires. Small businesses are described as employing 500 employees or less.
There are 31.7 million small businesses in the U.S. There are 20,000 large corporations. Keep in mind that these small businesses are required to pay taxes just like large businesses, but are paid as Individual Income Tax by the owners. They do not receive the same loopholes, subsidies and tax incentives that the corporations do. And, remember that many of the franchise operators using the names like McDonalds, Piggly Wiggly, Holiday Inn, etc., are small business owners and not part of the corporation itself. These owners pay for the use of the names, but still have to follow the guidelines and requirements of the corporation.
Of course these are not the only changes we are seeing in our government. As many of us have been suspecting for years, we are finding out how much waste has been going on. Waste of my money and your money if you pay taxes. And I am not talking about just the previous administration! Much of this has been going on back to at least the Clinton administration when he attempted to cut some waste, but was shut down by the Legislative Branch.
We have been paying exorbitant amounts for things we could get from Sears. We have been financing trips and events that could have been overseen for more than half the cost – if they were even needed in the first place. We walk away from enormous stockpiles of military equipment instead of bringing it home, so it falls into the hands of our enemies to use against us and our allies. But number one in my humble opinion is we have continued to operate over and over without a BALANCED budget!
Our country is going bankrupt, and no one has cared – until now. These are the changes that are most needed, but are being fought against the hardest. I’m sure there are many reasons that so many of our elected officials are fighting against these discoveries and changes!
So, how about we all just sit tight and let these issues play out? If your spouse takes care of the finances in your home and keeps telling you that there is not enough money for necessary expenses, wouldn’t you want to know why? Particularly if you are contributing to the income!
If that were happening to me, I would want an audit of all the past expenditures – was the money only going to necessities, or was it being spent at the casino or on extravagant things for themselves?! We all need to understand our finances.
