Tough love

Many years ago I was at CBU 402 in Annapolis, Maryland. The military was finalizing its war in Viet Nam and military units were feeling the pinch as financial cuts were taking place and units were watching costs allocated to them. I recall looking at an invoice that was paid to a defense contractor. The invoice was for a hammer; a common hammer that could be bought in any hardware store for less than ten dollars. The price paid to the contractor for our hammer was one hundred and ten dollars.
Instead of getting better with price control, the cost of running the country has drastically expanded and increased. The country has gotten used to it and expects expansion of government jobs by both quantity and higher prices. Then after all these years America had had enough. Couple fiscal mismanagement with a border invasion and add rising crime and the cocktail for change has been brewed.
The 2024 elections disclosed what America wanted. The election left no doubt; change was inevitable. The border invasion from citizens that live around the world was quickly actioned and the issue of criminals living in our country without citizenship is being actioned. America is feeling more like America with little or no pain. Unfortunately, there are cases of human hurt and pain but this is few and far between so America accepts it. Fiscal change is different.
America wanted a more responsible government, divest of waste and the solution will simply make the money drain go away. America has discovered it is not that simple. To turn off the spigot the spigot must be defined. In the present situation the spigot is the work force. Massive layoffs are required to clean up fiscal issues and this is not fun. The cuts will go deep and there will be ripple affects.
At the Federal level we are witnessing massive layoffs. This is visible and it hurts. Suddenly the pain is present. We can look at the layoffs in three ways. Hurt and sad feelings for those hitting the curb is normal for those that live the values accorded to American citizens. Ignoring the feelings of others and hiding in the corner is a second way to deal with the hurt of layoffs. The individual cares for others but has a problem dealing with the situation with emotional maturity. Apathy has no place in a strong country led by men and women of strength. The third way to deal with the hurt of layoffs is to not care at all for the feelings of others. These are the people that feel that others should take care of the problem. Volunteer for nothing and care only for oneself. This is a way to handle layoffs such as we see today but is not the attitude we learn in places of worship, regardless of what the religion is. Of the three coping mechanisms, caring about those in distress is the most desirable attribute for a country that cares for the fellow man; however, the resolution of the problem must be addressed.
State impacts will be part of the ripple effects. Federal layoffs will impact a state due to reduced income taxes for the state plus reduced sales taxes from reduced spending. Adding unemployed citizens to the rolls of those getting state assistance will negatively impact the state. All this will impact the ability of the state to fund programs and thus may lead to further unemployment and reduced funds for social programs at the state level. This impact will be seen at a later date.
When In Officer Candidate School we were taught that when an order is given there are two factors to consider. You look out for the welfare of your men and you accomplish the mission Accomplishing the mission is the most important aspect to consider; however, you do everything to look out for your men when accomplishing the mission.
The issue of fiscal reduction means the reduction in force and thus reduction in spending. This is a hard pill to swallow but there are times that we have to experience hard love. The problems we have in our country did not suddenly happen. The problems we have in America has been growing like a cancer for decades and unfortunately we either cut the cancer out or we perish. What we have to do is support our fellow man and do what we can to help those in need. We will have an opportunity to show our compassion over the next several years but we must realize that the surgical cuts are mandatory to save the United States.

God Bless America, God Save the Ukraine and Pray for Israel.