By Ron Scheevel
Preston, MN
One thing that bothers this old guy is the current state of national politics. With the recent completion of the impeachment proceedings, maybe now our president and legislators can get back to the job they were elected to do. Both parties have neglected the serious issues of immigration, healthcare, homelessness, and what I consider a serious problem, our national debt. Even as our debt grows by trillions, our candidates are planning more programs and giveaways with no real plan to pay for them. It seems the candidates and incumbants have little interest in actually trying to balance the budget.
After reading numerous articles by experts from both parties, they seem to have no clue about a balanced budget. If we need to borrow money just to pay interest on the debt, I would say the worst is yet to come. For us to grow the economy out of this mess, we need to curb the waste, control the giveaways and better manage the programs we already have.
If we are to continue to be the greatest nation on earth, then our elected leaders should look up the word “compromise.” If they quit bickering, find common ground and compromise, only then will I have any confidence in our Federal Government.
In fairness to our local, county and state leaders, I think you’re doing a pretty good job of managing our tax dollars. We can only hope and pray our national leaders can get back to fiscal responsibility before it’s too late. Our granchildren should not have to inherit our mistakes.
On a lighter note, let’s discuss the old soldier’s lack of understanding of modern technology. While I’ve been banned from our home computer, I’ve recently acquired a smart phone. Even though it has voice-activated text, I still prefer to “hunt and peck,” much like my old high school typing days. While painfully slow, the wife and kids get some entertainment from watching.
Some days I wish I’d kept up better with tech. Most days though, the net gain for this old guy is zero.
Let me explain. Recently our motor grader quit running on a bridge in Preston Township. The problem, a faulty transmission ECM, was quickly repaired at a cost of several thousand dollars. Also, our trucks have stopped or derated, mostly because of faulty electronics. It seems to me that the more gadgets added, the more chance for trouble. Did I really have to have a multi-thousand dollar ECM fail to tell me the grader transmission was OK?? You get the picture??
Our latest pickup is equipped with touch screen, backup camera, etc. All the old soldier really cares about is heat, cool, and off, all on one button. Maybe the grandkids can find me a vehicle like that on the computer. Or maybe I can just say, “Hey, Google!”
Until next time, God bless our troops and God bless the USA.
Respectfully,
“The Old Soldier”