The Bright Side to the Bad Economy

As you most assuredly have realized by now, the economy is in the tank. People have complained and cavorted over their lack of money, jobs and hope. Desperation and despair have filled the air as the financial walls have closed in on just about everyone, including the government. Just a scant four or five years ago, governments were cashing in on property, sales and other tax windfalls. So great the increased income to federal, state and local governments, budget surpluses were more the norm than the exception. So full were the municipal coffers that governments had more than enough money to hire more employees, give more raises and fund more projects. While a bigger budget and more spending seemed like a good idea at the time to many politicians, they weren't living in the real world.

Politicians have a rare ability to ignore common sense when legislating policies and plans. It's a special ability that has been passed down through generations of the power drunk ignoramuses that are prevalent in almost all political arenas today. Give an ingrate an inch and they'll take a mile, give a politician an inch and he'll take your wallet. As the price of real estate was rising and more and more property tax dollars were rolling in, most governments treated the increased income as if it were money falling from the sky. Unnecessary spending projects were everywhere. Everything from useless railings on sidewalks to median beautification was contracted out at a mind boggling pace. Money was tossed about like cheerleaders throwing free pizza coupons into the crowd at a football game and no one in charge stopped even for a second to consider the source of the funds. Short sighted leaders didn't even consider allowing the public to keep some of this money in order to reinvest in business to keep the economy moving. Suddenly, one day, it all came to a screeching halt and the economy slid off the cliff.

As the days of excess were coming to an end, politicians, being as inept as they are, failed to act quickly to prevent disaster. The money that had already been budgeted for many projects was no longer available. Instead of taking the obvious measures of spending cuts, politicians simply tried to raise taxes and fees to cover deficits. At first, the plan was working until the recession grew deeper. Now the public didn't have the money to be taxed out of. Governments were finally forced to stop spending like drunken sailors. Positions had to be cut, raises rescinded and projects put on hold. In other words, governments had to deal with reality and meet realistic budgets. Governments had to scale down to levels that they operated at ten to fifteen years ago. Spending had to be frugal and wise.

The average person can only hope that this newfound fiscal responsibility will continue after the economy improves. Perhaps a few lessons were learned during this wild roller coaster ride. Maybe tax money will be looked at as the money of the people that paid it and it will be respected more. Hopefully politicians and those in power will realize the weight of their positions and lead with prudence. One can only hope.