Tag: national debt

Grand Scale Spiritual Warfare in America

Today, America is divided more than at any other time since the Civil War. Meanwhile, the world is engaged in protracted wars and conflicts on several fronts. Billions of people around the globe are placing their hope–their only chance of survival–on a perceived strong and stable United States that is actually unraveling. What is happening in America is too irrational and bizarre to be anything but unleased spiritual warfare. Satan knows that, as America goes, so goes the world.

With every succeeding newscast, the mindset and behavior of tens of milllions of Americans demonstrate flourishing insanity. We are getting a daily overdose of lawlessness bordering on anarchy. Misguided political leaders at every level fill our screens with provocative hate speech and calls for disobeying laws and law enforcement. They invoke mayhem. They support criminals and berate crime victims. Protestors and rioters chant slogans and carry signs that show a lack of even a basic knowledge of social and political issues. They only know what they learn from liberal social media and biased mainstream news. They reject proven civil processes and governance in favor of rebellion and violence.

This didn’t happen overnight. Our spiritual enemy is strategic and patient. It began in the late 20th century with a national movement away from biblical morality and respect for authority. But our society digressed into an exponential freefall in family values and civility in 2015 when the highest court in the land legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. My blog post at that time predicted that this single ruling would cast a dark satanic cloud over America that would rapidly move us into deeper separation from God’s protection and blessings. Soon came the transgender focus with children and adolescents in hormonal therapy and subjection to physical mutilation. The sports realm forced females to compete with males in their own sports programs. Showers and locker rooms became co-ed.

Established laws were ignored. Throughout the Biben Administration, our borders were wide open with an estimated 20 million illegal immigrants entering our country mostly unvetted. Many of those who invaded every state were felons from their countries of origin who have continued violent crimes to include human trafficking, rape, and murder.

America has overspent like there is no tomorrow, leaving future generations to pay the bill. Our national debt has more than doubled in the last 10 years and will soon surpass $40 trillion. Most of the borrowed funds have gone to entitlements to individuals and interest on the debt itself (Yes, we are going into debt to pay interest on our debt!).

The only explanation for America, which for over two centuries touted itself as a “Christian nation,” falling so abruptly into such an ungodly culture is our nationwide acceptance of Satan’s influence. His foot-in-the-door of our national character has evolved to a bold entry through the door we have opened widely. This spiritual warfare between good and evil is waging in the lives of American citizens across our land. Law and order is no longer a priority for many liberal cities, and entire blue states have declared themselves “sanctuaries” for illegal immigrants. Again, many of these immigrants are hardened, convicted criminals. State and local law enforcement officers are prohibited from assisting lawful federal law enforcement operations. Arrested dangerous perpetrators are being released by the courts immediately. Generally, our nation of laws has become a nation of complete chaos. However, recognition of this spiritual attack is not an excuse for retreat. It is still our sacred responsibility to fight the rebellion.

Thankfully, there is a current surging counter attack in this spiritual war. It is an evangelical revival movement of the greatest magnitude in decades. Pockets of revival in schools and colleges were gaining notice as Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point organization surfaced. I believe Kirk’s assassination was a literal turning point in the nation’s spiritual struggle. However, as Christian momentum builds, the evil deceiver is pulling out all the stops.

The spiritual enemy is irate and has turned up the heat. Hateful behavior, obscene talk and action, totally illogical rhetoric, and the popularity of incompetant, ignorant so-called leaders can be observed at every turn. And these traits are being condemned by few and celebrated by many.

For godly people with rational minds and hearts to prevail, the darkness that dominates our nation and world at present must be overcome. If it continues or worsens, I must assume we are ushering in the end-times tribulation period described in the Bible. We are presently witnessing almost all the biblical harbingers. It wouldn’t take much today to trigger a new world order and a one-world leader–the immediate precursor for the tribulation.

The last words of the Bible are: “He (Jesus) who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.” (Revelation 22:20-21 NIV)

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The Goodness of DOGE Manpower Cuts

Defense Secretary Hegseth has just announced the elimination of 20% of the military’s four-star generals and admirals plus deep cuts in other senior military officer ranks. While many Americans decry what they call the gutting of our military leadership, I joyfully celebrate the move. At the peak of my 24-year Air Force career, I would have likely been a target of such cuts. Nevertheless, the action is long overdue. Let’s look into the bloated top leadership of the Department of Defense and other government bureaucracies that is finally being pared down.

There are 38 four-star officers in the active duty military. So, a 20% cut affecting only seven or eight officers is not a lot of compensation savings, but it has the news media spun up. The SECDEF has further directed the trimming of all other general and admiral positions by 10% and has extended similar cuts to the National Guard. All these reductions are only a tiny fraction of the other massive DOGE cuts in the federal government. But, if the positions are not necessary, they simply need to be gone. The military is not exempt.

World War II, the biggest military operation in U.S. history, had 12 million troops engaged at its most intense period with only 17 four- and five-star generals and admirals at the top. Today, we have just over two million in the military with 38 four-stars at the top–more than double the generals overseeing one-sixth of the combatants.

Indulge me in a personal example of military over-manning. Many of the senior officer jobs in the military involve serving as a superior’s backup. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has a vice chairman. The chiefs of staff for all branches of the military have vice chiefs of staff. Just below the star ranks are colonels and Navy and Coast Guard captains who command Army brigades, Navy ships, Air Force wings, Marine regiments, and Coast Guard vessels. All of these have second-in-command officers of the same rank with various titles. I was an Air Force vice wing commander rising later to wing commander who had a vice wing commander. My honest assessment is that the vice wing commander positions throughout the Air Force (and there are many) are not necessary. Across the military, in my opinion, positions labeled deputy, vice, assistant, and executive are seldom necessary. Their duties could be assumed by the commanders or other subordinates. Eliminating these backup military officer positions alone would save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars each year without any degradation in military capability. Numerous other non-essential positions that have little to do with combat readiness should disappear.

Our current national unemployment rate is 4.2%. That is a perfect rate. A healthy unemployment rate is 4% to 6%. Some unemployment is necessary to accommodate new entries and career changes. It is interesting that all the DOGE manpower cuts are having little effect on overall employment. Government workers must be finding employment where there is legitimate need. The federal government presently employees over three million civilian people, and there are over two million military personnel. I’m sure DOGE still has lots of fat to trim from over five million people. A lot of inefficiency still has to be found to gain ground in the arduous process of stopping the ever-growing $37 trillion dollar national debt.

The deep cuts into our inflated federal government bureaucracy by the DOGE teams are necessary if we are to survive as a nation. Positions similar to the Pentagon’s manpower reductions are being slashed in all federal government departments and agencies where excess workforce numbers are found. The Chicken Little cry from the Democrats and even some Republicans that critical services are being cut and people are going to die is shameful. No one is terminating employees essential to life and productivity. President Trump through his cabinet secretaries and DOGE is just chipping away the excess in government that has caused skyrocketing debt and absurd tax levels for decades. I applaud President Trump, Secretary Hegspeth, and all other cabinet secretaries who are finding the courage to do the right thing for Americans that their predecessors failed to do. Let us embrace the axing of the unfruitful branches of the tree, even though it may carry with it some temporary pain and chaos.

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As the National Debt Passes $30 Trillion, You Owe Over $90,000

You didn’t hear a boom or see flashes in the sky, but on January 31, America’s national debt broke through the $30 trillion threshold. And there is no end in sight to government borrowing. This debt is owed by every American man, woman, and child. Each of us currently owes over $90,000. An average American household owes over $231,000. Let’s look at what this means to you personally.

Let’s imagine a man with the American average annual income of $53,000. This man has run up credit card debts totaling $69,000. He has been paying only interest on the debt for years with nothing going to principal. He has not even slowed his pace of borrowing for about anything he desires. He has no plans to get out of debt or even to reduce his balance. In fact, his plans are to make some extravagant purchases this year that will add more to his credit card than ever before.

This financial idiocy is precisely analogous to the American national fiscal situation. Our debt of $30 trillion is now 1.3 times our annual income (GDP) of $23 trillion. Since March 2020, the national debt has surged by 27% or $6.5 trillion. It has doubled in the last ten years. A basic macro-economic principle has long been that, when any nation’s debt exceeds its GDP, that nation’s economy is in trouble. Yet our congress and our presidential administration has ignored the debt for decades. As the chart above indicates, congress frequently legislates debt ceilings to curb spending. But their discipline lasts only a few months until they vote for the next item on their wish list that will require lifting the ceiling.

A trillion is an incomprehensible number. A trillion seconds is over 31,000 years ago. A trillion pennies stacked on top of each other would reach the moon and back and to the moon again. A trillion one-dollar bills laid side by side like floor tile would cover the states of Rhode Island and Delaware. If you spent $40 per second around the clock, it would take 23,775 years to spend the $30 trillion Americans collectively owe. Remember, the government has no money. It is our money…and our debt.

Recently President Biden’s $5 trillion Build Back Better Act passed in the House with all republicans voting no, and all democrats, except one, voting yes. It would have passed in the Senate had it not been for two democratic senators with some semblance of sanity. Now, the democrats are frantically breaking the bill into smaller pieces to get at least some of the excessive liberal spending passed before they lose their majority in the 2022 elections. Congressional democrats are determined to increase the debt even further.

The only answer to eventual national bankruptcy is to stop federal deficit spending. Contact your congressional representative and senators immediately. Tell them to stop dragging you into more debt. Tell them to vote “no” on any spending bill that exceeds tax revenues. Then tell them you want to see a strategy for reducing the current debt.

I welcome your comments.

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Where Does This Magical Stimulus Money Come From?

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Americans have received over $2 trillion from “the government” with more to come. Since the government doesn’t earn money, but rather just redistributes the people’s earnings, this windfall is taken from somewhere that involves us. How are they doing it, how is it paid back, and what does in mean for you…and your children?

Following what is happening with the federal government’s unprecedented infusion of vast and unimaginable amounts of money into businesses and individuals is like the proverbial herding of cats. It is essentially impossible to understand every aspect of how this works, but the bottom line is we are borrowing from our future selves.

On March 27, 2020, Congress approved the expenditure of $2 trillion for businesses and individuals. Then on April 23, 2020, they passed an additional $484 billion for business and disaster relief. With more on the horizon, we will soon be approaching $3 trillion in government assistance to victims of the pandemic. In fact, Pelosi’s Democrats have just floated a proposal for yet another $3 trillion for states and local governments and another wave of individual payments. Of course, that amount is ludicrous, but a big chunk of it will probably fly. The entire 2020 federal budget is $4.7 trillion, so the stimulus already equates to over half of the annual budget. By the way, the $4.7 trillion budget is supported by only $3.6 trillion in tax revenues resulting in a $1.1 trillion planned budget deficit to be added to our national debt.

Let’s pause here for perspective. Just what does $3 trillion dollars look like? Well, if you stacked $3 trillion in $1.00 bills, it would be over 203,000 miles high or almost to the moon. Laid flat, the stack would circle around the equator 7 1/2 times. If you spent $1.00 per second, it would take you 96,000 years to spend $3 trillion.

So, where is this $3 trillion, and very likely much more, coming from? It’s complicated, but let’s look at it in general terms. The federal government sells government bonds, or IOU’s, to banks which in turn sell them to individual and corporate investors. Since these bonds have the government backing them, along with a reasonable interest rate, there is a decent market for them, especially in these uncertain times. The government will just sell more bonds that they will later have to pay for plus interest.

Now, the question is how does the government pay back the investor in principal and interest that they haven’t budgeted for. Some pundits say the US Treasury will simply print more money. That is not exactly true, although there is some sleight-of-hand here. The Federal Reserve–the government bank–creates digital dollar credits that are as good as cash. These digital dollars will of course ultimately be called for by the bond holders, but, by that time, the government will hope to have enough revenues from taxes and future bond sales to pay the debt. Eventually, any shortfall in revenues to pay off the bonds will be paid by increasing the money supply, or literally printing more money. Unfortunately, printing more money lowers the value of the dollar and hurts the economy.

If you follow this cycle, it becomes obvious that all this stimulus spending will someday come back to haunt us and our future generations. Some of the stimulus money is in the form of loan guarantees that will not have to be spent. But the Congressional Budget Office estimates the bond obligations alone has added over $2 trillion to our national debt which bumped it up to over $25 trillion. Most economists agree that, when any nation’s debt exceeds its GDP–the sum of all annual production or spending in the economy–it should raise all kinds of red flags. Last year’s GDP was $21.7 trillion. Some financial analysts calculate the national debt as $19 trillion, since $6 trillion of it is what the government owes itself. Either way, we must ensure that our long-term position of debt is well below GDP.

I don’t disagree that the stimulus was absolutely necessary to rescue and resuscitate our economy. Perhaps some more is needed. The idiom, drastic times call for  drastic measures, applies here. However, we must be very cautious about future stimulus packages and very conscious of the inevitable payback. I would like to see your thoughts on this.

 

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