We’ll get back to the word SHINNEY a little later in our blog. First, we want to talk a little about what just happened in Washington D.C., the center of our National government. Instead of our government setting a budget to live within, the elected elites (we loosely refer to them as our representatives) have decided to once again kick the can down the road. We cannot say for sure that every household within our Nation lives within a budget. We guess that a few cannot, or do not, for maybe a variety of reasons. Maybe they depend totally upon checks from the government, so whatever they get, they will spend, or charge to their ever-increasing debt on their credit cards. Maybe they live off of someone else, like their parents, or maybe a rich relative who will cover whatever they spend. Maybe they don’t even know what a budget is, because they live off of the policy, “cash-in, cash-out”, and will simply deal with the over-draft charges, or denied use of their credit card at checkout when they are told “disapproved” because of lack of funds. Maybe they simply do not care, because when the debts get just too high, they will declare bankruptcy and start the process all over again. Regardless, we believe most within our Nation are rational beings and understand that one cannot live beyond their means, and when they run low on cash or credit, they will stop or slow down their spendings in order to stay solvent. One thing is for certain. Whenever any citizen within our Nation reaches the point where cash and credit approach zero, there is also zero likelihood they will be able to generate cash out of thin air, that is without doing it illegally by robbing a bank or stealing stuff to resell, as has been the habit of a few flash-mob thieves of late in “smash and grab” orgies in some of our cities of late. Living on borrowed money will at some point always lead to a reconning.
Unlike us peasants, as our “representatives” kick the can down the road, they are above the fray and feel free to spend our taxpayer dollars as they see fit, without any regard for personal consequences or reprisals. They also have the luxury of being able to lie and say: “This won’t cost you, the taxpayer, anything as it is totally covered”. If you believe this, we have some great property to sell you, but if you want to see it, you will have to wait for low tide. How many times have you heard or been told that nothing in life is truly free, that there is always a cost, that money doesn’t grow on trees . . . except in our magical government tree known as the BEP (Bureau of Engraving and Printing), under the control of the United States Treasury Department. Fortunately, for the U.S., the U.S. dollar happens to be the world’s currency right now for trade. What that means is that our government can print as much money as it wants to in order to buy whatever it wants or pay for whatever it desires. The unfortunate consequence of this procedure is that the more money the U.S. prints, the less value remains in each dollar you may hold, and that is called currency devaluation, or in laymen’s terms, your dollar will buy less and less of anything, or put another way, it will take more and more of your dollars to pay for the same thing you bought not long ago. Sometimes our government sells bonds in our Country in order to have the cash on hand to fund our ever-increasing glut of programs. Right now, as we have detailed in a previous blog titled “JUST SAY NO” (published September 27, 2021), our Nation is in debt beyond our ability to pay within this generation, or the next, and that is assuming our “representatives” ever feel the need to act and plan within any kind of budget. We constantly hear their cry to raise the ceiling of our buget, meaning they want to have more money to spend more money. We are also constantly bombarded with the on-going process of CRs (Continuing Resolutions), where we just postpone the process for raising the debt limit to a later date. Here at FREEDOMGOFORTH, we call that procrastination. All we ever hear from them is to just kick the can down the road, hoping that by some miracle we shall one day immerge from the depths of over-spending. They trust they will be rewarded with renewed tenure in Washington D.C. for “bringing home the bacon” to their constituents, or that the need to “pay the piper” will come after they have left their cushy job, and are living high off the hog in retirement, funded totally by the taxpayers of our Nation. Two major flaws exist in the ability to continue to print money to feed the government pig. First, in the not-too-distant future, the almighty dollar will lose favor among world nations and will no longer be something we can print at will. Secondly, no other nation will consider the U.S. to be a viable investment, and the ability to sell bonds will come to a screeching halt. When these things happen, we will not only be “up a crick without a paddle”, but our canoe will be full of holes and sinking fast. Where does a nation go when it can no longer pay its debts? Hyperinflation will occur where you will have to carry your cash in a wheelbarrow to buy one loaf of bread . . . assuming there will be any bread to buy. The rich in our Nation will have fled to more accommodating climes, unaffected by the wreckage left behind. The rest of us will be wallowing in the filth of despair, where wants are no longer dreams, and where needs are no longer met.
Yes, it is a sad thing to constantly kick the can down the road, as the face of our friend in the short video clip above can attest. It also hurts, again as our little friend has experienced from the kicking process. Now let us talk about SHINNEY. Our editor of this blog can now relay a true story that will help to explain the dangers of the on-going policy within our government to continually kick the can down the road. Back in the day before cell phones or computers, there were less opportunities for young kids to lay on the couch and even watch TV, as cable channels didn’t exist, and you only got on the screen what your rabbit ear antennas were able to pull in. So, there were ample opportunities for the youth of our Nation to explore the out of doors and be inventive in the games we played. One of them was called SHINNEY. Imagine an open area in a yard or field where a circle was drawn, maybe 15 feet in diameter. Around the circumference of the circle, five or six (depending on the number of players) small holes were dug, no bigger than the size of a typical dinner plate, but not smaller than a teacup saucer, and the holes were not that deep, maybe only 8 or 10 inches. Every player got a stick. Broom or mop handles worked perfectly. Then there was chosen a can to be used in the game. Each player defended their own hole from a “floater” player in the middle of the circle whose job it was to get the can within one of the holes of a player on the edge of the circle. You could not use your hands or legs, only the stick to move the can. Once the player in the middle was able to maneuver the can into another player’s hole, they then exchanged positions, and the game began again. You can well imagine the shape of that can after just a few minutes of the game. You can also imagine the number of player shins that were being routinely impacted either by the now sharp edges of the can, or the opposing player’s stick. This was not a game for the faint of heart, and wearing shorts was not a good idea, for any denim material over one’s shins afforded at least some, although minimal, protection.
So, what’s the point of this bit of reminiscing, and how does it relate to kicking the can down the road? Shins were not the only parts of a player’s body that were subject to injury. No helmets, gloves, or eye protection were ever worn. There was always blood being drawn from one or more of the players. In some cases, even more damaging injuries were possible, as the sharp-edged can never stayed on the ground level but often made its way above the waist . . . and so did the sticks. The editor of this blog can attest to multiple scars that remain on both shins from this game played many multiple years ago. There was also ample opportunity for several players in the game to team up on one other, and the verbal abuse and put-downs were not that rare. Damage is not only done to the players of SHINNEY, but also innocent bystanders. Long after the kids had played their last game, when the property owners were being assisted in cleaning up the property for a move, both of this editor’s parents received sprained ankles by stepping into the overgrown holes left behind. This is how it will be when any form of SHINNEY is played, for whenever the decision is made to kick the can down the road, we will all suffer some damage, and much of it will be permanent. Failure to recognize a dangerous event, and not take proper precautions, will always leave scars, and they can never be undone. When our “representatives” kick the can down the road, they are only hurting our Nation and each citizen that resides within. To fail to recognize the dangers to not live within a national budget, and even more so, to not even establish a budget to begin with, is pure lunacy and ineptitude which is unbecoming of any “representative.” We do not mean to disparage all who are elected to represent us in Washington D.C., because there are several who go there with the best intentions to do the right thing. Unfortunately, some are often overcome with the bureaucracy that resides there, and find their voice often muted, not just by opposing forces, but often even by those who should be on the same team, the team that should be fighting for our FREEDOM and LIBERTY.
We are tired of our “representatives” playing SHINNEY. It is past time to no longer kick the can down the road, as permanent damage to our Nation is the result. We need to all be active in letting them know that our Nation needs to live within a set budget, and if it means cutting out some pork and fat, all the better. We need to take personal responsibility to talk to those whom we have elected to represent us and serve for us. If they do not listen, but succumb to the intoxicating bewitchment of Washington D.C., then it is our duty to vote them out and replace them with someone else who treasures our Nation and will fight to maintain our Constitution and Bill of Rights, and who will take every possible step necessary to ensure the continuation of our FREEDOM and LIBERTY. Who will you call or email today? Tell them to “JUST SAY NO“. We want to leave you with one thought to consider if you feel unaffected by the topic of this blog. “None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.” (Johann Wolfgang van Goethe, 1749-1832.)