The Conservative View: Enthusiasm and Reality

This week's Conservative View, by Adair County Commissioner Russell Turner (R-Stilwell).

The Conservative View
by Russell Turner

Enthusiasm and Reality

Many Americans have the desire to own their own home and to have a business that will be profitable enough to meet the needs of themselves and their family. Many people that start a small business learn very quickly that the business world can be very rough. Years ago I purchased a small business and a good friend of mine gave me some very good advice. He said that it is good to be enthusiastic about starting a business, but if you are to be successful you must use logic and take a hard look at the numbers. Many times I have seen people become overwhelmed with the requirements that a business can demand of them. The first year of any business is the most critical. From experience in my own business, I learned of the sacrifices one must make if they are to survive. We Americans need to look at our personal finances but we also need to start to take a more active role in the finances of our nation.

We all hear about the stimulus money and many people can only think of running to the feed trough and making sure that they get their fair share. The additional debt that our county will owe for this current year’s budget is projected to be 1.6 trillion dollars. When you break that amount down by our country’s population it equals $5,300.00 dollars of debt for every man, woman and child in this country… and that is for just one year. In 2008, government spent 38% of everything produced in the U.S. (gross domestic product) and last year the figure shot above 40%. There are estimates that contend that if the current trend continues by 2012 total government spending will exceed the total gross domestic product of this nation.

Some people can relate to the problems that are facing our country. Whatever product a business creates, the business owner cannot stay in business by continually borrowing more money to keep the business open. Whenever it costs more to keep the business open than all of the sales that might come from the business, the owner has to face reality and close the doors. Granted government is different in some respects to business, but without curbing expenses the result will be the same “bankruptcy”. We Americans need to be less enthusiastic about spending money we don’t have and for the sake of our country we must get realistic about the dangers ahead.

If you wish to contact Russell Turner, or want to subscribe to his email loop, email him at rdrepublican@windstream.net.