Downsizing

I watched a chirpily happy "newstory" the other day. A family that had been living large, with SUVs, a McMansion, multiple flat screen TVs, and other amenities, had their income cut. The story was about "learning what's important", and showed them selling the cars, growing a garden, and eating at home, instead of in fancy restaurants. Guess what? It wasn't that bad. They kind of liked spending more time with their family. (And they weren't even fired politicians.)

So here's the thing. My country and state and city have been living large, with lots of wars and roadbuilding, corn-stuffed cows and chickens, prisons and fancy prison-like schools, complete with guards. But now, our income has been cut. Or rather, it was cut years ago, but they kept borrowing for all the amenities, even adding Homeland Security and bank bailouts in this century. Man, that's expensive!

I'm ready to cut back. I want to put the Pentagon on a budget! Stop the wars. Stop the incessant road-building. Without the wars, we can't afford oil or cars anyway. Let the kids go to school in the old open schools. Legalize pot, for Pete's sake. (And everyone else's). That should make the prisons cheaper to run. Let them grow gardens. Some of them do anyway. Quit paying the corporate farmers to grow too much corn. Let's have some land reform in the USA.

Let the banks fail. Then the small banks and credit unions who didn't participate in the orgy can take care of our banking needs. Back off on Homeland Security and the spying and paper-checking that goes with it.

Let's cut back and spend more time with our families! Isn't that what's really important? (Cut to the violins and soft focus picture montage here).

Or at least, let's quit destroying other people's families, killing their children, burning their houses and making their lives miserable. It's too expensive. We really can't afford it anymore.