As I get older, I have come to realize certain things about myself. I found out that I only have so much energy and, once its expended, all I can do is plop down in front of the TV and fall asleep. I don’t feel too bad though. My wonderful bride of 34 years usually has her head in my lap and is snoring before I am.
We often wake up at the end of the evening and say “My, wasn’t that a wonderful program? Did you see how it ended?” Nope. Then we both laugh. We have been known to watch the same TV show over and over again because we never get to the end.
One of our favorite shows is “Blue Bloods” on CBS. Tom Selleck plays a tough NYPD police commissioner and has a family that is also interwoven into the NYPD and district attorney’s office. Tom should still be driving a Ferrari under palm trees in Honolulu.
Of course, the upside of being older is that I’ve seen a few things and I think I know a thing or two about life and people. I am always highly suspicious of individuals who promise “a chicken in every pot.”
They are trying to buy votes with goodies and freebies.
Most of the time, the schwag never gets delivered. Or, the promised programs threaten to bankrupt the government.
Bernie Sanders is a perfect example of this. He claims that he will make college education free and forgive all student loans. He also wants Medicare for all. Add to that the elimination of poor people, ending greenhouse gases, and wealth re-distribution, he seems like Socialist Santa.
Sorry to be an old stick in the mud, but how does Sanders Claus pay for all of that?
I hear younger folks talk about how great this will be but never think about who picks up the check.
I have heard Bernie say that all of this will cost about $30 trillion and he intends to cover this with taxes on the rich. Folks, there are not enough rich people in the United States to cover $30 trillion. Poor people won’t pay because they have no money.
That means the middle class will pay. And, boy-howdy, will we ever.
I have also heard that the $30 trillion is not realistic and the actual number is closer to $60 trillion. This will, without a doubt, bankrupt this country.
Bernie’s promises begin to seem more like wishful thinking than any realistic plan for a socialist democracy.
Let’s also think about “free education.” How will that work? Will the government simply pay the tuition for all students? What would prevent schools from charging whatever they want? The government will need to institute price controls and dictate how much tuition they will pay.
Schools, both public and private, will then be subjected to full budgetary control by the government. And why stop there? Class sizes will be regulated, “standards” for academic performance introduced (to assure effectiveness of education), controls on academic salaries, and on and on and on.
Note to all of you socialist academics — be careful what you wish for.
What about loan forgiveness? If you paid your student loan, you are a sucker. If you are paying your student loan, you might as well stop. You will be forgiven, so why pay? Also, with Bernie forgiving all loans, someone has to pay off all the lenders, and who would that be? Go look in the mirror.
Let’s also not forget that the greatly expanded student loan program got us into this mess. With students flush with lots of extra loan dollars, schools dramatically increased tuitions and fees. This has created spiraling higher education cost unseen in modern history.
Many people think Bernie Sanders is something new and that is true from the socialist aspect. No major candidate has ever claimed to be an avowed socialist and become a major party front-runner. But, promising unrealistic things is an age-old trick employed by many politicians in the past.
Young progressives, don’t believe it. Bernie cannot deliver, no matter how big his sleigh and how many reindeer. You will be left disappointed and discouraged with yet another politician who only told you what you wanted to hear.
Maybe if Bernie had a Ferrari?
Steve Lunetta is a resident of Santa Clarita and has been painfully absent from this page lately. Gary Horton has run amok! Steve can be reached at [email protected].
