If you have a friend or a relative who is on the wrong path no matter what you say to them they have to be the ones who want to improve their lives.  It doesn’t matter if it is a drug or alcohol problem or a behavioral problem. You can guide them but you can’t make them do anything.  They have to see the light and have the will and determination to make their lives right.

We can also use the same comparison to the economy.  Politicians sit in the halls of Congress up on Capitol Hill and come up with legislation that think will help the economy but in reality only helps the economy in the short term.

One example is the stimulus package.  Although the government has only spent approxiamately10% of the stimulus package they are making claims that the economy is turning around because of their legislative action.  The majority of the stimulus package does create work for people but not long term jobs.

Another example would be the Cash for Clunkers program that the government spent one billion dollars on.  As I post, there is a bill in front of the Senate to spend another two billion dollars on the program.  On the surface this bill could seem like a good idea.  But you have to ask yourself, how many of these people with these so-called clunkers would need to buy a new or used car anyway?  So the politicians took your tax dollars that you’ll have to repay and redistributed the money to people who the vast majority would have bought a car any way.

A trillion or more for health care.  Billions on the stimulus bill (and don’t forget the current administration keeps floating the idea of a second stimulus).  Billions for cap and trade.  One to three billion for the clunkers.

I seem to remember in the presidential campaign a promise:  No income taxes for anyone making under $250,000.  According to Fox News, just this Sunday Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner, threw out the trial balloon saying:

“We will not get this economy back on track, recovery will be not strong and sustained, unless we … can convince the American people that we’re going to have the will to bring these deficits down once recovery is firmly established,” Geithner said on ABC’s “This Week.”

Asked point blank whether it was right to suggest it is a matter of when, not if, taxes will be raised, Geithner responded, “It is absolutely right.”

National Economic Council President Larry Summers also did not rule out future increases on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

White House Press Secretary Gibbs, though, dismissed the comments Monday as part of a “hypothetical back and forth” that Geithner and Summers allowed themselves to engage in. (end of Fox News quote)

This is code for at least opening the door to tax increases in some shape or form. Even if they are disguised as fees and not income taxes but rather taxes on other things in our daily lives that will affect everyone regardless of income or status.

Congress is now in recess.  They will be going back to their home districts and many will conduct town hall meetings.  This is the time to go to those meetings and ask your representatives some serious well thought out questions and remind them that if they are not looking out for your well being then they won’t get your vote come election time.

Right now I observe a continued spending spree in Congress at a time when businesses are cutting costs and cutting jobs.  When will Washington start running the government more like a business and begin cutting its waste?  The President made a campaign promise to go through the budget line by line and reduce waste in government.  When will that happen?

As business people and as citizens of this great land, we need to hold our representatives in Congress accountable for the good of the people and of the nation as we move forward and out of this recession.