This Sunday ICYMI edition is always free for all subscribers and visitors to this Substack page! Thanks for being a part of this look at CA politics!
Care to guess how large the national debt is as of the time I am writing this? Well, let me help you…
It is closing in on $39 TRILLION, and we’ll hit that soon and go right through it. Because we have a bipartisan overspending problem in Washington, D.C., our politicians want to pretend it does not exist. Heck, we just had a much heralded “return to regular order” on Capitol Hill in our spending process. This is code for the idea that the spending plans, instead of just being hatched in a back room, went through the various committees. Clearly, this would commit us to ending our deficits and reversing the U.S. Debt Clock, right? More on this, but first, to help you visualize this debt, check out this video…
If you think that a return to “regular order” in the Republican-majority U.S. Senate and House means we are getting a handle on this problem, think again. These new spending plans do not reduce overall government spending. They do not even meaningfully reduce the increase. Our annual deficit (spending exceeding revenue) remains massive and continues to drive the national debt to grow. And why, you might ask, can’t we get a handle on this problem? It’s because of what personal finance guru Dave Ramsey explains in this video… Nobody wants to say no! Check it out.
The next time you see a Member of Congress, ask them if they voted for any or all of the spending bills that have funded government for the next period of time. If they say yes, ask them how much they reduced spending year over year. The conversation gets very uncomfortable, very quickly. You will hear every excuse under the sun. But the answer is that they were unwilling to say no and risk their seat at the big table for doing so…
ICYMI - SIX GREAT PIECES FROM SDIM IN THE LAST WEEK!
On January 31, 1968, former Vice President Richard Nixon formally announced he was running for president, setting the stage for one of the most consequential political comebacks in modern American history. Speaking to the nation after months of speculation, Nixon declared that the country needed “new leadership” to restore order at home and credibility abroad.
The announcement came at a moment of deep national turmoil. The Vietnam War was intensifying, urban unrest had shaken major cities, and confidence in political institutions was eroding. Nixon positioned himself as a voice for what he later called the “silent majority” — Americans who felt overlooked amid social upheaval and protest movements of the 1960s.
His candidacy was itself remarkable. Just six years earlier, after losing the 1962 California governor’s race, Nixon had told reporters they would not “have Nixon to kick around anymore,” leading many to believe his political career was finished. Instead, he rebuilt his network, campaigned tirelessly for Republican candidates nationwide, and reemerged as a seasoned, disciplined contender.
That 1968 announcement ultimately led to a narrow general election victory, returning Nixon to the national stage — this time as president of the United States.
(I am writing this at my desk, in my home, one mile from the Richard M. Nixon Presidential Library!)
Thank you for being a part of the So, Does It Matter? Family!
Jon
