Government
quip shortsighted
Jennifer Frehn
Comedian Wanda Sykes showed a clip Tuesday, Sept. 27 on the 2005 Comedy Awards
show on BET of President George W. Bush saying he wants to give money back to
the American people because
they know how to spend
it best.
In response to this, Sykes sarcastically joked this was a great idea because
the American people know how to spend their money wisely. She cited the billions
of dollars Americans waste on the lotto each year.
Are we to believe because some members of society think they can win the lottery
and waste too much of their money on it, all Americans should suffer?
I have nothing against Sykes and or the lottery, but this has to be the feeblest
Bush bashing attempt I have witnessed in a while. First of all, what sane person
complains about getting more money from the government?
Every student knows the slightly shocking feeling of opening your monthly (or
if you're the lucky one, bi-monthly) paycheck and noticing the chunk of cash
removed by the government.
Even though you know it’s coming, you still cannot believe how much they
take out. So, I would think the general consensus is the more money coming back
at the end of the year in tax returns, the better.
But wait a minute, should we contemplate giving this money back to the government?
Maybe we dodnot know what is best for us. Maybe the government should take all
of our money then give us a budget and tell us what to spend it on.
We would never have to worry about what the right decisions are, for someone
else would
take care of that. A giant economic computer (let’s call it the “COM-e”)
could send weekly e-reports of your budget, showing exactly what decisions are
best for your specific demographic.
If you walk around with a question mark hovering over your head on where to spend
your money, then maybe that kind of program would be best for you. But if you
do not require a Benjamin babysitter, a less extreme answer is appropriate.
Instead of defaulting to “solutions” of idiotic proportions, why
not try fixing the situation at its source? Educate citizens from a young age
about finances and what are and are not smart fiscal choices. Some may say, “Well,
the government doesn’t even set a good example of that.”
Whether or not that is the case, that is no excuse for individual Americans to
waste their money. Instead of handing over all our hard-earned dollars to Uncle
Sam,
why not learn how to manage them yourself?
Admittedly, sometimes we do indulge in a frivolous splurge or two. But as a whole,
I believe most of us are responsible with our money and would rather have control
over more of it than blindly submit it to the government.
Jennifer Frehn is a senior journalism major and news editor of the Daily Forty-Niner.
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