Tag Archives: spending

Money Squandered

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As oil continues to gush into the Gulf of Mexico, I can’t help but wonder how the world and our economy might be different if all the billions upon billions of dollars we’ve spent on military hardware in the past 15 to 20 years and on military actions that make the world safe for…well, mostly safe for Halliburton and the rest of the military-industrial complex and corporate America, apparently…well…

What if that money had been spent elsewhere?

No, I’m not talking about social programs (much as I like them) or on our children (who are our future) or on healthcare (which could keep our population strong and productive). I would have liked to see more funding of all those things.

But imagine, if instead of trying to police the entire world, we had spent only a modest amount on military issues, such that we could defend ourselves but not be such an aggressor. And what might we have spent those billions on instead?

How about freaking fusion research?

I mean, if we had spent as much money on truly cutting-edge, forward-thinking energy research, maybe we’d be close to clean, effective, fusion power. Maybe now, instead of relying on a swiftly vanishing petrochemical resource, we’d be the ones calling the shots and saying: “We have the energy. We have the good stuff, and now let’s see some money to provide it.”

Maybe we would be in the plum position that OPEC nations have held, as the holders of the future energy needs of the world, instead of slaves to oil.

And then maybe a pipe wouldn’t be leaking millions upon millions of gallons of black death into our waters.

Faithfully Frugal by Miz Pink

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Anyone besides me ever think about what Jesus would think of our daily activities? I mean particularly in our consumption crazed nations like here in the ole U S of A?

Really by all indications the guy had at least one nice set of clothes (nice enough for some Roman soldier to gamble for his cloak) and he certainly didn’t seem to miss necessary meals except for that 40-day fast in the desert. He seemed to have some fun and hang out even while he “teached and preached” but he was a guy who didn’t carry a lot of baggage with him. Literally or metaphorically.

The amount of money any of the average one of us spends on bullcrapola like multiple daily coffees or fast food visits or worthless grooming products or new clothes we don’t need and might not even get around to wearing. Buying stuff that’s on sale even if we don’t need it. Getting a new car when the old one is running fine.

So much money down the tubes. Money we could be salting away. Money we could be using to help the poor. Money we could be using to help our churches continue to pay their bills and staff. Money we could….o heck I’ve made it clear already.

Alot of conservative folks like to think that Jesus would vote Republican. Yea right! Not sure he’d vote Dem either but he sure wouldn’t side with a bunch of folks who think the best thing in the world is to make sure rich people get richer and more people get poorer to make that happen. Jesus was into spreading the wealth and not hoarding it.

Not saying you have to hermit up in your homes or anything. But in the old days (and I don’t even mean as old as J.C.’s day) people could stay around the house or walk around and stuff and somehow remain entertained. Too many of us think that we have to do, do, do, do, DO. Get, get, get. Go go go!

Yes, having lunch out can be cool. So can seeing a flick at the theatre. But how many times do we spend and get and go when we should be staying by the hearth and figuring out how to be closer to our families and enjoy a little stillness and thrift in life?

Spendaholic

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Lord knows I’d like to stop ripping Sarah Palin around these parts because I’d rather she just go away, but it’s so damned easy. And too often, so damned appropriate for me when pointing out the rampant values-hypocrisy she shows.

Now, we find out the Republican National Committee has been giving Palin the equivalent of $2,500 a day for clothing, to the tune of some $150,000 so far.

And this woman wants to talk about how much she connects with the “real America,” which she defines as rural America. Where, I’m pretty sure, there are an awful lot of people who don’t have $2,500 worth of clothing in their entire home.

So, the economy is going into the dumper and she (and the Republican machine) want to clothe her in fancy digs. Even if she needs a whole new freaking outfit every day, you’re telling me she can’t find good ones for under a few hundred dollars?

For one thing, I hardly find this kind of thing to be very humble or responsible, two things that being such a supposedly devout Christian are things she should aspire to.

More hyporcrisy. More waste. More ego. More recklessness.

And, dare I say it: Elitism. That very same word that she keeps tossing around to describe Barack Obama.

But I got a feeling that Barack Obama isn’t spending this kind of money, and probably his wife ain’t either.

(Yeah, I heard she’s going to donate them to charity. I’ll believe that they all go that route when I see it. And it doesn’t change the fact that she’s spending too much money on the wrong thing. And the charity idea probably only came up after people realized publicly how much she was spending.)