It Makes You Wonder

Money is our driving force. It pays for our food. It pays for our shelter. It pays for our clothing. It pays for our protection. It pays for our entertainment.

We work for money. Someone or something evaluates our value and gives us compensation for required activities. Some of us don’t think we make enough and some probably make too much, but the money flows.

I’m not an economist or a financial advisor, but with today’s news of the tornado destruction I see an outpouring of assistance from the humane society.

I view it as something engrained in our being to want to help. The outpouring almost makes you respect our species.

There is a “But” to this feel good fuzzy emotional reaction.

It seems like only a few days ago there was this political battle over budgets and wars and who pays for this and who doesn’t get that and look at how big the budget for the government is getting.

I know there are financial people who will figure out how much money you need to live a “good” life and retire on easy street. We try to balance between immediate demands on our cash and what we are available to stow away into some kind of stock option or 401 or off shore holding.

Then comes something like a tornado. A tornado wipes out everything. All that is familiar and constant to life is gone in an instant. What do you do?

How do you start over again? Of course there is insurance but as we all know what you think your value of that wedding dress isn’t exactly what the insurance company will pay. I wonder how you take off a lost of your life on taxes?

There are foundations and organizations who help direct our giving spirit to the immediate cause and then there is a overshadowing government that tries to provide whatever we request, even if it is silly, but we don’t want to pay for it. We continue to try and find ways of not paying taxes and arguing over the differences we value as necessary or not.

My point, if they’re ever is one, is why don’t we get rid of this stress. We seem to have enough money to pay for all the stuff we need and all the help or benefits for the downtrodden.

So why can’t we ALL just decide to pay off our debt and stop filling an rainy day funds to get along with the real business at hand? Maybe it is time to innovate, educate, and explore the future instead of fussing about the past. We seem to have enough money and the desire.

Or will it take a tornado to balance the budget?