Financial Crisis or Political Circus?

Good Morning...

It seems like the frequency of my posts with political or global topics has been increasing.  I have other blogs where these are generally placed in order to keep us focused on personal improvement and success.  Only when a political or global topic hampers our journey towards success will you find these commentaries here...

The past few weeks...my attention has been diverted by the "budget talks."  I bet yours has too!

You can't turn on the radio or the television without hearing about the "goings on" in Washington D.C.

As I watched the drama unfold...I couldn't help but ask myself "Is this a REAL financial crisis or is this simply a political circus?"

There is far too much mud slinging and blame passing...and not enough data and information!

WE ARE people of data driven conclusions...so rather than fall prey to emotional "leaks"...

Let's look at this...and we will  be able to conclude if this is a CRISIS or a CIRCUS!

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PARAPHRASED - "If you guys don't give in to my demands...social security and military pay will be late..."

Here is what I know...

Our government's monthly income is sufficient to cover our bills...

The order of what gets paid is our Executive Branch's final decision...if Social Security and Military checks do not go out...it is the President's decision...

My question...is this a threat rather than a statement of fact?  Tell me what you are going to pay instead of our elderly and armed forces personnel?

PARAPHRASED - The raising of the debt ceiling has nothing to do with our ability to pay our debts...it has everything to do with our "rating"

This one confused me...because I thought...if we didn't raise our debt ceiling...we couldn't send the Social Security checks and Military pay...now I am being told that it has nothing to do with that!  What has changed in the last 2 days?

My question...shouldn't we be looking at the BIG picture and not hit one item at a time?  All of this stuff is interconnected...

PARAPHRASED - "We need a balanced budget amendment..."

My thought is that we do not need a constitutional law that forces a leader to make good management decisions.  An unbalanced budget is a poor business decision for a family...small, medium, big businesses and for any government!  It is unethical and immoral!  This is not a subject of the constitution...it is for the Senate and House Ethics committee!

PARAPHRASED - "We will crash if the budget is not passed by August 2nd..."

My question is...WHY?  We'll be in the same financial state on August 3rd as we were on August 1st...

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I have had enough thinking through this...

Not one of the statements that I have heard has been realistic, fact based or insightful...there is too much hype!

We are not in a Financial Crisis...this is a political crisis!

If it is political...then the people in Washington are wasting our money!

It is time for our society's stewards to drop the political rhetoric...and begin looking out for our nation...as our Founding Fathers intended!

A Balanced Budget Amendment?  My suggestion is...DON'T DO IT!

Adding a law to our constitution to control the president and congress...is another chop at Liberty...

They should be balancing the budget without "threat or coercion!"

If a congress-person or a leader suggests any budget that is not balanced should be scrutinized for their competence...and ethical slant!  Then if the review is strong enough...the ethics committee should step in...if the review is weak...let the voters decide...

We do not need more laws...we need more people simply doing the right things...making the right decisions...PURE AND SIMPLE...

Do not panic...

Sit back and enjoy the show!

Do not take this hype seriously...

Look at this show for what it is...a great way to see people for what and who they are...

Do not forget what you see and VOTE responsibly!

Enjoy the show...

This thing is a three-ring political circus...

Ring #1 - The Senate
Ring #2 - The House
Ring #3 - The President

ENOUGH SAID!

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I am not one of those "arm-chair quarterbacks."

I can not just sit back and complain or criticize...and...

I refuse to do so without bringing a suggestion for improvement...

SO...

What should they do?

DROP the political positioning!

There is a single goal that they need to accomplish...

Stop worrying about the elections in the future and how "obtaining a raised ceiling will buy time...and put the onus on the next administration..."

Republican, Democrat, Tea-Party, Independent...it just doesn't matter!

In the past...the government has worked diligently to disarm prejudice and promote the concept of diversity...

We have envisioned...us being a "nation of colors" who are color-blind...working for the "common good"

As I think about it...

Political affiliation is a form of prejudice!

In fact...

It is a religion...

The things that we are fighting to keep out of our government are actually deeply embedded in its fabric!

Every representative is just that!

A REPRESENTATIVE!

...OF THE PEOPLE...not a ideology...or a special interest group!

Unity is what made us a nation...and it will be the usher that guides us out of the "Big Top!"

Congress and the President need to spend significantly more time on "defining" the issue at hand and then defining the common good!  Once agreement is obtained on these two simple elements...

Focus on ensuring that the problem clearly measured...and then the goal...as what everyone would agree upon as success...

Are we getting the picture here?...it is a simple (elementary) process improvement project!

Rather than pushing agendas and trying to be the hero...and positioning and "spin" and threats and hype...

Get down to the business of making the United States better...

WOW!  Our name even says "UNITED"  have we forgotten that?

We can proactively unite before it crashes...

Or...

We can let the crash force us to unify...

My advice?  Seek unity and agreement...

Enough time has been wasted complaining about how this situation has hurt everyone and if we go one way or the other...it is going to mess with individual plans...

Selfless and sacrifice are key ingredients to success...

If the amount of spending is a topic for the politicians...then they should consider forgoing their pay and benefits until this is solved...(do you think that is going to happen?)

If that is impossible...then let them figure out how to get paid AND solve the problem...

Focused activity is significantly more effective than chaotic energy...

Focused activity solves crisis...chaotic energy is thing of the circus...

Drop every opinion and platform...those are the things of prejudice and discrimination...

There is only one thing to do and that is the RIGHT THING!

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For our success journey...we can take a lesson from our politicians...

Can you see it?

Have you learned it?

Will you apply it?

Drop the need to be right and do the right things and you'll be successful!

The bottom line is that during your entire journey...your success will be totally dependent upon on focus...

Sometimes it will be on your focus...others it will depend upon unified focus...

This is not a time for compromise...but on unified agreement on the SINGLE goal...

There is no place for positions and prejudice...no biases or no opinions...

There is only one thing that congress and the president needs to do...that is create a budget that invests every dollar so that there is a Return on Investment (like any good corporation would do)...

Don't waste money on entitlements...

Take us back to a profitable position in the global economy...

Our personal challenges are the same...

Your success depends upon this...

Leave ever moment better for you having been a participant...

Will every politician be able to say that on August 3rd?

Can you?

Enough Said...for this weekend!

Pura Vida!