Guest Blogger: Sophia Goodner

Hear that familiar sound of a slide whistle, raising in pitch? That's our budget unit. So far we've talked about taxes and all the loopholes they provide for people with the money to work around them. Loopholes for the rich? What a concept! Of course, we also talked about Social Security and the question of raising the age to actually benefit from SS. Plus, we discussed the possibility of the percentage paid to SS being raised, due to the Baby Boom era finally cashing in. Though, it doesn't help that SS is dipped into when there is money to be paid. I assume we are entitled to this entitlement if we pay into it; that's why it's an entitlement, correct? Hopefully there will be some left when I come of age.
Health Care had it's own dialogue as well; who could forget the mandatory expenditures Medicare and Medicaid? Medicare for the elderly and Medicaid for the poor. But those aren't the only mandatory expenditures our budget puts money into. No, don't forget Security and Non-Security. Those get their share, too. Plus, we have so many other expenditures, not enforced by law. These include our education spending. Legally, you don't have to be educated. And I suppose we could cut back on education spending, as long as the elderly don't mind being taken care of by a doctor who isn't quite sure if the scalpel is that sharp thingy, or that one, or protected by a lawyer who isn't quite sure about the law, but is positive that it was something along those lines.
Surplus: a word for something we haven't had in a long time. Money left over from what we budgeted for our country this year? Since when? Deficit is a word I remember much more clearly. The amount of money spent over the limit in one year. $5 one year and $5 the next. That doesn't just come out to $5, mind you. According to debt, the accumulation of deficits, $10 is the amount we owe. And isn't it grand, the amount we owe?
I loved learning about our budget, taxes, and all the money we spend here in America. If you didn't gather how I felt from this blog, then by golly, I did you a grave disservice by writing this blog without the correct amount of love I feel. Hopefully, you got my message.

--Sophia Goodner, Hour 6/7